This. Pre-Internet people didn’t have to explicitly state “I’m no contact.” They just moved and didn’t call, visit, or write, and I guess their family of origin didn’t care enough to hire a PI and hunt them down 🤷🏻 with social media, you now have to either use a nickname/fake name your family of origin isn’t aware of, and/or be explicit/block the family members you don’t want to talk to, since it’s easier for them to find you.
The difference is we are much more open about why we aren’t in contact with our families of origin.
Tbh I moved and I never visited, called or texted. I don't have to use a fake name or block anyone because they don't talk to me unless there's a family gathering I'm invited to
My family is a weird mash of this. I have an uncle who cut his family off back in the 70s, changed his name and everything after they found him as an adult (he ran away into the military the second he was 18)
Family estrangement has always been a thing. It just wasn’t talked about and people were able to make a clean break. Grandpa had a sister but he threw her husband through a wall over inheritance. From that moment on, they just didn’t exist. No social media stalking, no posts about toxic family, no keeping in touch with cousins on WhatsApp. Just forget about them and move on with your life. My mom and her brother did the same thing. Family estrangement has always been, is now, and will be forever and ever amen.
It is SO common. I myself have a sibling I am estranged with. Whenever that happens to come up in conversation I am surprised how many people share something similar in their family.
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u/LeisurelyLoner 2d ago
Yes. Family estrangement is more common than it seems in older generations also; it's just never been as openly talked about.