Estranged

I don't have a particularly close relationship with my mother, or with my mother's family — I haven't seen or spoken to them in many, many years. ("Estranged" is a good way to describe it.) I'd rather not get into the details (I'm not sure I'd even know where to begin), but suffice it to say there was no specific moment or incident that prompted this. There was never any anger or pain. And it's a conscious decision, one I am completely at peace with.

But I don't know what to tell my seven-year-old. Sooner or later, he's going to ask about my mother, and I've no idea what I'm going to say. I don't like to lie to him — he's bright and inquisitive, so I try to stumble through even the most complex of explanations to help him understand. He deserves that. But I couldn't possibly explain this to him.