S2, Ep. 9: Tam on family communication, parenting styles, and estrangement

Tam is a psychologist, trainee counsellor and PhD researcher whose work centres on family relationships, identity and resilience. She runs the Substack Family Estrangement, where she explores the complex realities of family cut-offs from both sides - those who choose distance and those who live through being estranged. Her writing takes in many forms of estrangement and aims to offer nuance and balance in an often polarised conversation, helping family members better understand one another’s experiences. Across all her work, she is driven by a single question: How do we build resilient families with flexible, accepting communication?In this episode, we take a few minutes to tell you about our Estrangement Book Club, which is happening this Thursday.Then we talk about how a mother’s priorities evolve over the life of their children, communication within families (both biological and adopted), and the perceived frequency of estrangement.Mentioned in this episode:Jennette McCurdy’s memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died.Join the Estrangement Book Club meeting this Thursday: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit monicacardenas.substack.com/subscribe