My son became estranged from our family almost a decade ago. Not sure what caused it completely, but I have my thoughts. My son was always "top dog" and received a lot of attention in school. However, once he got out of school, he no longer received all the attention. When he got married, things did not go well. They encountered financial problems along with drinking. After helping him several times, I received no thank you or no attempts to repay me. I finally decided I had to do the "tough love."

In the meantime, I think he took advantage of many of his friends and acquaintances. It got to the point where he couldn't be trusted or believed. Therefore, he lost a lot of his friends. His brother was prospering, which I believe was another sticking point. He tried to keep up with him and he couldn't, which made matters worse. His financial problems got out of control and our family was receiving calls from debt collectors and law enforcement.

At this point, we all became estranged from him. It was at this point we stopped communicating. It has taken many, many years to open communication lines again. The two brothers haven't spoken since. I have finally started speaking to him via phone the last year or so. We have not seen each other in probably 2-3 years although we live in the same city. At this point, I am just taking things cautiously. I doubt things will ever be 100% again, but at least I know he is ok. There is a lot of hurt and distrust to overcome.