Why sometimes you have to ‘divorce’ your parents, siblings

A young depressed man sitting outside.

Let's talk about the ridiculous expectation for children to love, respect, and obey their parents no matter what. It is a sad state of affairs when a society advocates for family values over an individual's emotional and mental well-being! I don't know about you, but for me, my mental and emotional well-being takes precedence over being part of a family.

Cutting off a parent because they are toxic is basically unheard of. In my Kikuyu culture, especially, it is instilled in us from a young age that we are obligated to remain unequivocally loyal to our parents, lest we get a 'kirumi' (curse). Never mind that the said parents could be the most toxic and insufferable people on the planet! We are taught that you will suffer great adversities if you don't show love, respect, and loyalty to your deadbeat, abusive and narcissistic parent. Imagine that.