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Bereavement

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Estranged father's death

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Jan321 Tue 26-Mar-19 20:38:56

My dad has just died at the age of 88, our relationship was not a typical one. During my teenage years he left our family for another. Only when his wife died did he contact me again after 25 yrs. Our relationship never really recovered. Has anyone else experienced the death of an estranged parent and the associated mixed emotions?

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HildaW Tue 26-Mar-19 20:45:26

Yes, I have. Its a long and miserable story and his death caused me something of a crisis. In the end I sought professional help. I will not go into details here but the excellent counselling I had allowed me to close the chapter and move on.
Children are hard wired to love their parents and it takes a lot for the parent to destroy that bond. However the guilt a child carries for feeling they cannot trust or love their parent is very hard to bear. I am happy to reply to a PM should you have any questions.

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