When family members reconnect: A parent and son’s story of reconciliation
Even when we really care about each other, feeling or staying connected with family can be hard. This can be especially true if a family is living with violence or intergenerational trauma. It can also be a challenge to maintain feelings of connection if you’re struggling financially and/or don’t have access to a supportive community, affordable childcare, or safe and secure housing. Perhaps if a family member is sick, distressed, or going through tough times. And when one member of the family is going through these difficulties, it can mean all members of the family share the experience in one way or another.
For all different reasons, the connections we form in our lives can break down, and when we want to find our way back to the closeness we used to share it’s not always easy or straightforward.
In this episode our host Alicia Ranford talks with Emi (or Mumza as Elliot refers to them as) and their son, Elliot, about how they worked to rebuild connection after time apart.
Content warning: This podcast includes themes of domestic violence, trauma and homelessness. If listening to this podcast brings up any difficult feelings for you, please seek help from your mental health professional or one of these crisis or support services.
In this episode, you will hear:
- Emi and Elliot tell us about what lead to them losing connection and how they decided to reconnect [04:41]
- Emi and Elliot talk about redefining the roles of parent and child and how this helped them reconnect [11:11]
- the steps they both took to reconnect [16:54]
- Emi and Elliot offer advice to people looking to reconnect with a loved one. [21:23]
Further information and resources: