Over the last few years, my mother has separated from my nuclear family. She simply stopped calling us and withdrew completely. I continued to call, but she ended the conversations abruptly or made an excuse not to talk to me. Up until two years ago we talked every few days, saw each other several times a month, and had never missed a holiday meal together. Mom severely limited our contact and decided it was not worth, “messing up either of our houses for a holiday dinner.” I was unsure why she cut us off, and she would not give me any answers for the entire time. I can appreciate the point that Kerr and Bowen (1988) make that the, “decision to cut off is usually made without much reflection. If one’s parents cutoff from their parents,
