Jo Frost Instagram – Estrangement is not new, however I’m witnessing in families today a surge of actual estrangement from young adult children dressed up as ‘boundaries and self care’ with lots of therapy language and we need to talk about it honestly.
From my experience working with families and that’s been over three decades, when parents SNOWPLOUGH every obstacle, carry every emotional weight and protect their child from every hard feeling even the embarrassing or shameful moments and i do think shame can be a quiet teacher if we learn to work through it; that child grows into an adult who has very little capacity for real life adversity. They struggle with conflict, accountability, disappointment and repair. An entitled immature self can not empathize and so when relationships become uncomfortable instead of working through it, they disappear, they go silent…it’s too much they are too ‘overwhelmed’ another word that masks the real emotion.
They call out self-care but often it’s emotional avoidance.
Don’t get me wrong estrangement where there is abuse is necessary for survival but in many families today no-contact is becoming a response to discomfort, needing to be right,not danger. It’s used as a form of punishment or control, a way to avoid working through shame, conflict, or taking responsibility for one’s part. This is what happens when a child grows up without building emotional resilience. They truly interpret HEALTHY boundaries as rejection, disagreement as disrespect and normal relational repair as “toxicity.” They haven’t built the muscles yet needed for adult connection.
Families heal through honest conversation, action,accountability and emotional growth not silence, you see me mediate as such on my shows. That TRUTH you witness as the viewer that lasts at the table for 8 minutes on my shows is a real 2hr intense emotional experience.
It requires high effort, not low and the talks continue without the time with a family. High effort all the way, integrity & courage.
We must teach children how to feel, communicate, repair and stay present, even when it’s uncomfortable. That’s how we build stronger families and emotionally mature adults. Jo xx💙 | Posted on 27/Nov/2025 07:37:35
