“I love you Dad.” The words spilled readily from my son’s lips, but a reply did not quickly flow from mine. His call was yet another attempt to manipulate us to get money he undoubtedly would use for drugs. My hesitancy was not because I questioned my love for him. Rather, it arose because at this moment I did not feel much affection for him. The constant lies. The continual efforts to manipulate us. The efforts to make us feel guilty so we would do as he asked. The threats of bad things that were sure to happen to him if we did not fork over the cash. These made our hearts weary of his calls. His glib expression of love seemed hypocritical.
Those with offspring immersed in a destructive lifestyle will inevitably struggle with periods where they lose affection for their son or daughter. Siblings, spouses, and children of prodigals may experience the same loss of affection. We dislike—and are even repulsed by—what he has become. Sometimes it seems as if another has possessed both body and soul of our loved one. The ugliness of his life and behavior dulls warm feelings that were once so strong. This reality
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