The complex and often painful decision to sever contact with a parent has been thrust into the spotlight following reports of a rift within one of the world's most famous families. Brooklyn Beckham, the 26-year-old son of football legend David Beckham and fashion designer Victoria Beckham, is said to have blocked his parents on social media, a move confirmed by his younger brother Cruz.
The Beckham Family Dynamic and a Wider Social Trend
In December 2025, Cruz Beckham, 20, clarified online that his parents had not unfollowed Brooklyn on Instagram, but had instead woken up to find themselves blocked by their eldest son. The family celebrated Christmas separately, with Brooklyn in Miami with his wife Nicola Peltz Beckham and her family, while David and Victoria marked the day with their other children Cruz, Romeo, 23, and Harper, 14.
While the precise reasons for Brooklyn's reported estrangement remain private, his situation echoes a difficult choice made by many adults. For Rebecca Visser, a 36-year-old content creator from California, the turning point came after years of attempting to discuss alleged childhood abuse with her mother. "Adult children don't go no contact out of the blue," Visser states. "It's something that's been building up, and once they've done it — nine times out of 10 — it's a last resort."
Finding Peace Through the Pain of Estrangement
For Visser, now a mother herself, the final decision in 2023 was driven by protecting her own family unit. She sent a final email explaining she could not have contact until things changed, acknowledging they likely never would. Since then, she reports a significant drop in stress and anxiety. "Now that I'm without that, it gives me more ability to focus on my son," she explains, adding that the decision has proven to be the best she could have made.
Similarly, Annie Emerson, a 31-year-old hospice nurse from Georgia, reached her limit after a safety incident involving her two-year-old daughter. When Emerson confronted her mother about placing the child in a car without a proper seat, she was dismissed. "She essentially said, 'Well, you guys are being ridiculous... This isn't a big deal,'" Emerson recalls. Cutting contact four months ago has brought her profound peace. "I'm very grateful to feel like I'm allowed to be who I am," she says, noting she no longer feels the need to shrink herself to maintain the relationship.
The Journey to Healing and Self-Preservation
Ariel Rae, a 29-year-old marketing agency co-founder from New Jersey, ended contact with her mother a year ago to escape a dynamic marked by conflict, criticism, and her mother's struggles with alcoholism. Rae realised she would never receive the accountability or apology she sought. The change since blocking her mother's number has been transformative. "Without my mother, my negative self-talk stopped because she's where it sources from," Rae reveals, noting she now shows up as her best self in other relationships.
All three women acknowledge the sadness that accompanies such a loss. Emerson allows herself to feel it on difficult days, but also reminds herself that the motherly love she yearns for was never something her mother was capable of providing. They have moved from resentment to a place of healing and self-preservation.
While the circumstances are unique in every case, the sentiment resonates. As Rebecca Visser sympathises with Brooklyn Beckham's situation, "Your parents could have all the money in the world, but if they treat you poorly, you don't have to stay in contact with them." Their stories underscore that for some, cutting ties is not an act of rebellion, but a necessary step towards personal well-being and a functional life.
