family abandonment
Forsaking one's household
Family abandonment is the act of leaving one's spouse, children, or other dependents without support, communication, or intention to return.
The term carries legal weight in contexts like divorce and child custody, where it may affect proceedings: He was charged with family abandonment after disappearing for two years.
The abandonment may be physical, financial, or emotional—a parent who remains present but wholly disengaged might be accused of a form of family abandonment.
- custodyProtective care or control
- deadbeat dadParent shirking child support
- addictionCompulsive substance reliance
- estrangementEmotional separation between people
- neglectFailure to provide care
foster care · mental illness · trauma · emotional scars · financial hardship · grief · child welfare · therapy · isolation · desertion · walked out · left behind · missing parent · broken home · incarceration · shame · social stigma · rejection
family abandonmentfamily devotion
Loyalty to one's kin
staying present · being there · sticking around · parental responsibility · family involvement
family abandonmentfamily support
Aid from relatives
parental care · caregiving · child-rearing · parental love · child support
family abandonmentfamily loyalty
Commitment to one's relatives
family unity · family reunion · homecoming · reconciliation · family bonding
family, abandonment, families, familial, familiar, familiarity, familiarize, familiarization, unfamiliar