We all need someone we can lean on when life takes an unexpected turn. For many, that support comes from family. After her divorce, Reddit user FlowerPowerPuff96 thought her mother could help her get back on her feet.
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But the more the woman worked on herself, the more her mom seemed to knock her down. Eventually, she ended up paying the bills, handling the house, and dealing with constant pressure to stay dependent. And when she started dating, her mom’s behavior only worsened.
After her divorce, this woman moved with her two kids to her mom's, thinking she could help raise them
Image credits: Ron Lach / Pexels (not the actual photo)
But as time went on, she became the one who had to handle most of the household’s responsibilities
Sensing she would get some money from her previous marriage, the mother began pressuring her daughter to keep living under her roof
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Image credits: ageing_better / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
The woman met a guy, and for the first time in a long while, she felt like something was going her way
Image credits: BĀBI / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Her mother, however, made it clear she didn’t approve of their relationship
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As her mom sold her house, the woman took a small RV for her family while her mom moved into a bigger house
Image credits: cottonbro studio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
To complicate matters even further, the woman got pregnant
Image credits: cottonbro studio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
image credits: Candice Picard / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
After the baby was born, her mom started openly favoring the oldest and undermining the woman’s relationship with her partner
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After contact was cut, her mom sabotaged their utilities, broke agreements, and made life in the RV unbearable
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Eventually, the authorities were brought into the picture
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After her mom was taken for a psych evaluation, she disappeared for two weeks, leaving the house in complete disarray
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Her mom was forced to move out, and she created a violent scene out of it
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Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: FlowerPowerPuff96
Family estrangement is relatively common
Going no contact, or opting to become totally estranged from one’s family members, rather than trying to make it work, is a growing trend among adults who feel their closest relationships are problematic.
From stalemated siblings who vow to never speak again, to contentious beefs between grown children and their moms, you could say it’s the era of cutoff culture — a time when the once-revered adage “blood is thicker than water” no longer holds, well, water.
Over one-third of the US population, or 38%, are currently estranged from a close relative, according to a 2025 YouGov survey — while 16% confess to having pulled the plug on any communication with one or both parents.
The report states that people who are estranged from a parent are most likely to cite manipulative behavior (34%); physical or emotional violence (34%); and lies or betrayal (31%).
However, Lesley Koeppel, an Upper East Side psychotherapist and writer, says forever disassociating with kin — even difficult mothers and fathers — shouldn’t be a knee-jerk reaction to infighting.
Koeppel, author of ‘How to be the ‘Perfect’ Mother-in-Law,’ a manual for overbearing moms looking to change things up, urges quarreling parties to explore various avenues toward possible reconciliation, before lopping off a branch of the family tree.
“I increasingly see adult children moving to no contact too quickly, before attempting clear communication, setting firm boundaries, and attempting meaningful repair,” she explains. “Estrangement should be a last resort, not a first response.”
Our Redditor—at least it appears—certainly gave her mom plenty of chances. But at a certain point, enough is enough, right?
People were glad this long, messy family saga had a somewhat happy ending
