What your parents did wasn’t just a “lesson” or “tough love”; it was abandonment. You were a scared 16-year-old left to fend for yourself with $20 and nowhere to go. That kind of experience leaves deep emotional scars, and it’s understandable that you’ve never fully healed or built trust with them again. Even if they’ve offered advice or some support since then, it doesn’t erase the trauma of being thrown out as a teenager.
You don’t owe them emotional closeness just because they’re getting older. Compassion doesn’t mean forgetting or forcing yourself to care beyond what you genuinely feel. You can choose to keep limited contact, stay distant, or reconnect — but whatever you choose, it doesn’t make you heartless. It makes you someone setting boundaries after being deeply hurt. NTA.
My parents kicked me out when I was 16 years old. After 4 days and 3 nights my dad found me and took me back home. AITAH for not really caring about them as they get older?
