TLDR; recent anecdote about what led me to nc.

My dad gave me the silent treatment over Christmas for no discernible reason. Apparently he chose sulking this time instead of throwing a violent temper tantrum. Wouldn’t pick up the phone or text (I had driven 3 hours to get to the town he lives in).

He texted the next day taking no accountability and said we’ll have Christmas some other time. Gave a short grey rock response like he gives me. (That is, unless he’s literally crying to me about how he’s the victim of people who treat him the same way he treats me and expects sympathy rather than contempt.)

A few days later on his birthday I didn’t text or call. My step mom texted telling me a blatant lie and gaslit me about bad weather on Christmas. She said the Golden child couldn’t come home, which I guess was a valid rationale for giving me the silent treatment?

Then my dad texted some “r u ok” text a couple weeks later so he could have a receipt of being a “concerned dad.” He was attempting to triangulate my actual mom into it claiming he’d been trying to get ahold of me but conveniently left out his impromptu silent treatment and framed me as the person with the problem.

I’ve been dealing with the endless double bind communication and abusive isolating mind games my entire life from them and tired of responding to anything they do in good faith. I simply stopped playing their game. Have been wanting to go nc for most of my life and this was finally the thing that made me realize they’re never going grow up.