If your adult child is not responding to texts, emails or any attempts at contact, at some point you might begin to worry about the time that's passing during estrangement. This could happen for a couple of reasons…

One frightening thought is that the longer adult child(ren) are estranged, the harder it will be to reconnect. That's an understandable fear, but it's not necessarily true. Worse, it often leads to parents trying to force reconnection prematurely (i.e., before they understand why it happened in the first place).

The other acute concern regarding time is the loss of opportunities to be together during holidays and other special times. That fear of losing precious time together is the subject of this episode.

Tina offers two big ideas to help parents gain a different perspective on the problem. She advises listeners to remember that things are not always as they seem; a perceived loss is not always an actual one.

Also, losing time during estrangement can be prevented by spending time consciously. Your relationship with your adult child(ren) may be on hiatus, but your actual life doesn't need to have gaps.

For more on coping with an unwanted estrangement from your adult child(ren), read Tina's book, Reconnecting With Your Estranged Adult Child.

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