I have been estranged from my oldest daughter maybe for 10 years. Actually probably more. I've lost track. It does get easier with time. I held out hope for a long time that things would soften. She was always a difficult child, headstrong....which I actually saw as an asset. I had a difficult divorce when she was 8. She was also not her father's favorite bc she was so headstrong. They both wanted control. I needed to have boundaries. She ended up moving out of state when she was in her early 20's. I did get some cards from her asking for recipes or such. I thought there might be a thaw. I would send her cards or gifts. I know she made life difficult for herself. When I saw no thaw was happening, I just had to put it out of my mind. Yes, so much easier said than done. I honestly feel she backed herself into a corner and is either stubborn enough or just can't figure out how to get out of it. Her younger sister whom I am very close to hasn't heard from her in about 5 years. People often don't talk about their estrangement from their adult kids but I do believe it is more common than we know. If you haven't done therapy, I highly suggest it. I didn't do it over the estrangement but did fairly extensive therapy when I was divorcing. It was one of the best things I've done for myself.