Why some families stop speaking

It's an incredibly painful thing to do, so why are some kids cutting their parents out of their lives? 27% of Americans are estranged from at least one family member, and the term "no contact" is increasingly being used to describe estrangement between adult children and their parents. But is estrangement happening more often, or are we just more open to talking about it?

And is our culture around family shifting? Brittany sits down with journalist Kui Mwai and Whitney Goodman , licensed marriage and family therapist and the host of the Calling Home podcast, to find out.

This episode originally aired on December 17, 2024. Follow Brittany Luse on Instagram: @bmluse For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at .

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