Estranged
Families
Whether it’s a
seemingly simple argument or the deepest of dilemmas,
conflict can sometimes tear a family apart irreparably.
Larry knows firsthand – he went almost 10
years without speaking to his father before making
amends. On today’s show, Larry strives to
help families in a similar situation find peace
and forgiveness before it’s too late:
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The rifts in this family are multi-layered: daughter
Sheila no longer speaks to her siblings Jody or
Carol, while mother Carolyn is also trying to
mend a 28-year silence with daughter Carol. The
reasons? Sheila had a physical altercation with
sister Carol after their father died in 1998,
while Jody and she stopped talking after she wrote
a nasty letter when he charged her $1,000 for
a $500 horse. Now Sheila is ready to resume contact
and forgive, but Jody and Carol are hesitant.
Carol is also having a tough time forgiving their
mother Carolyn, whose former struggles with alcohol
drove Carol away permanently. Larry encouraged
the family to put their differences in the past
and move forward with a clean slate.
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This remarkable story continued to unfold even
after the Ethridge family had left the studio.
The background: sisters Toi and Tiffani appeared
on the show to implore their brother Sydney to
reconcile with their father James, who is dying
of liver and kidney disease. Sydney was having
a hard time forgiving his father for losing the
family business and using drugs for several years,
while his sisters believed that Sydney was too
focused on money and that he needed to re-embrace
his family relationships.
In an effort to unite the Ethridges, Larry offered
to pay for Sydney to travel to San Diego and spend
time with James and the rest of the family. That
night, Sydney and James were able to apologize
and catch up on each others’ lives. Sadly,
Sydney unexpectedly passed away in his sleep that
night. The Ethridges say that they are grateful
to have had the chance to reconcile before this
tragic turn of events. Watch
the show’s video tribute to this amazing
man.
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Although they all live under the same roof, sisters
Erma and Cynthia have had a long-standing feud
with their sister Griselda, who feels like the
“black sheep” of the family. Erma
and Cynthia disapprove of Griselda’s choice
to be a stripper and think she should spend more
time tending to her 2-year-old son. Griselda says
it is her only way of supporting him despite the
fact they still live with her mother. Larry encouraged
Griselda to believe in herself and take advantage
of the fact that she lives at home to save money
and go back to school.
Quick Clicks
Are you having trouble forgiving and forgetting?
Visit our Advice Archive
for ideas on how to let go.
Is your family embroiled in conflict and you’d
like to be on the show? Tell
us about it here.
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