When A Situation Is Beyond Reconciliation

Admittedly, many family situations are dangerous and abusive. If a situation in an estranged relationship is not entirely intractable, one can try reconciliation, which can help in healing, growth, exploration and change.

If it's possible, resist the urge to recreate the past and build a n...

While faced with a young adult who has walked away from your life, understand that you may be a problem, and the adult child has to be seen with empathy and understanding.

The formative years are bound to be problematic and it is in the nature of young adults to commit certain mistakes, wh...

1. Do a cost-benefit analysis if you are thinking of reconciliation, weighing the pros and cons of making contact again.
2. Understand that any clash has two people who play a role, just like it takes two hands to clap.
3. Do not try to align the past, which is futile exercise.

Estranged relationships are common in families, with feuds being especially brutal among siblings. There have been stories throughout history, from Cleopatra to Genghis Khan, of the unheard of ruthlessness by which family members with whom there is a clash have been disposed of.

Various mo...