Adult child estrangement is a real thing. Up to 27% of people in the US are estranged from someone in their family. That’s almost 1 out of 3 people that are estranged from someone, though not necessarily a parent. I’ve seen a lot of “parent pity” content online and in the media recently, and I wanted to talk about this from my own perspective. Parents are not victims when they treat their children badly. Once their children become adults, and those children can make their own choices about whether or not they want to put up with their parents’ ill treatment any longer, parents shouldn’t be surprised when the consequences of their own actions cause a rift in the family.