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While Brooklyn Beckham’s recent social media post about his bitter family feud thrust the topic of parent-child estrangement into the headlines, surveys suggest these types of rifts have been on the rise for years.
One study from Cornell University found that more than a quarter of Americans — roughly 67 million people — report being estranged from a family member. One of those is Laura Wellington in Connecticut, known on social media as “Doormat Mom.”
While research has shown that many estrangements are gradual, Wellington described hers as sudden and unexpected. After initially being involved in her daughter’s wedding plans, she was abruptly told she would not be invited to attend.
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When Wellington pushed back, both her daughter and her daughter’s fiancée blocked her from all contact in 2024, she told Fox News Digital in an interview.
“I was literally just completely blindsided by this,” she said. “The pain of being cut off — it’s a pain you can’t describe unless you feel it.”
The widowed mother of four took to TikTok to share her experience.
“I just said what was on my mind — and I didn’t mention my daughter specifically,” she said. “I just came out with a very heavy hand and said something to the effect of, ‘Were you a really good parent, and you raised an ungrateful little [expletive]?”
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Wellington was “flooded” by responses from parents, she said — not only in the U.S., but also in Germany, the U.K., Australia and other countries.
“They wanted to share their feelings, to share the impact. They needed the support.”
Since posting her first video in August 2024, Wellington has built a large social media following — nearly 150,000 on TikTok and Instagram — that includes other mothers in similar situations, as well as a fair share of critics.
Wellington said she’s heard from many parents who have experienced profound grief, isolation, even suicidal thoughts after becoming estranged from their adult children.
“The parents were ashamed to talk about it,” she said. “Because they felt … that if they talked about it, if they spoke about it, then the first question they would get is, ‘Well, what did you do?’”
Estrangement is becoming a more normalized way to address family tensions, even in cases where there is no abuse or neglect, according to Wellington.
“The pain of being cut off — it’s a pain you can’t describe unless you feel it.”
She blames several factors that drive division, including political and cultural differences and “societal narratives that are destroying families.”
“There’s a lack of foundation and traditional family values … loss of faith, loss of grounded principles and the education that’s happening in our country,” Wellington said. “The way these things are being skewed today, cutting off your parent is the first go-to, not the last.”
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She added, “We’re at a crossroads in our nation, because what’s the point of saving a nation if you don’t have cohesive families to save it for?”
In December 2024, on the weekend of her daughter’s wedding, Wellington released a self-published book, “Doormat Mom, No More!”
“I married my new life, so to speak,” she said. “It became not my personal story anymore — it became a story of many.”
Wellington has also heard from young adults who are seeking to repair parental relationships.
“There are some wonderful young people out there who really do want answers, they want to solve their problems, they want to have the relationship,” she said.
In some cases, Wellington acknowledged, adult children are warranted in ending the relationship, such as in cases of abuse or neglect.
Causes and impacts
Dr. Jonathan Alpert, a New York City psychotherapist, told Fox News Digital he’s seeing parent-child estrangement becoming more common, with politics often playing a role.
“I regularly work with families where estrangement isn’t driven by abuse or neglect as much as it is by political identity and voting behavior,” he said. “Parents are cut off because of who they voted for, what news they watch or the views they express.”
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“What would once have been handled as disagreement is now framed as moral injury.”
Alpert echoed Wellington’s claim that estrangement is becoming more of an automatic reflex.
“Once a parent’s beliefs are labeled as ‘unsafe’ or ‘toxic,’ disengagement feels justified and necessary,” he said. “Estrangement becomes a form of moral signaling rather than a last-resort response to genuine harm.”
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In cases where adult children go “no-contact,” Alpert said the emotional impact can be “severe.”
“Parents often experience profound grief, confusion and shame,” he said. “Adult children may initially feel empowered, but many later struggle with unresolved anger, rigidity and a narrowing of emotional tolerance that affects other relationships as well.”
Alpert’s biggest concern, he said, is that estrangement is increasingly presented as emotional health.
“In reality, emotional health often involves learning how to stay connected across differences,” he said. “When therapy language and political culture reward rupture over repair, families are left divided long after the arguments fade.”
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Alpert emphasized there’s a difference between boundaries and estrangement.
“Boundaries are meant to allow a continued relationship with limits, while estrangement ends the relationship entirely,” he said.
Advice for parents
For parents who are struggling with estrangement from adult children, Wellington warns against trying to force reconciliation, as she said that can actually make things worse.
“Estrangement becomes a form of moral signaling rather than a last-resort response to genuine harm.”
“You can’t force them into a relationship with you,” she said. “Once you start running after them, you give up your autonomy. If they’re choosing to move away from you, you have to just let them go.”
She continued, “Let life teach them — and if they’re meant to come back, they will come back.”
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Wellington said it’s important for parents in her situation to focus on moving forward with their own lives.
“Go on and create a life for yourself that you’re proud of. Find your happiness,” she advised. “If they do come back, they’ll see that you’re doing well and thriving.”
Looking ahead, Wellington said she thinks there’s “always hope” that she and her daughter may reconnect someday.
“I hope she realizes that the same woman who wants to use every ounce of her strength to keep this family going …. is the same woman who created this platform to help others keep going,” she said. “And I hope she sees her mom as a strong woman.”
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Alpert agreed that reconciliation is possible, but said it’s more challenging when estrangement is “reinforced by social validation, online communities or political identity.”
He added, “Repair requires a shared belief that relationships can survive disagreement.”
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