Divorced mom refuses to attend her 17-year-old son's sporting events after he starts ignoring her: 'I cry from the rejection.'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Feb 17, 2026 8:00 AM EST

Neither of them can continue on this way.

There's nothing more painful than losing contact with somebody you love with all of your heart, especially when they won't tell you why they stopped talking to you. It's one thing to lose contact over time, gradually drifting apart and mutually deprioritizing each other as a part of your life. But when your teenage child stops talking to you and stops wanting to associate with you at all, it's a devastating loss. If your teenager can choose which parent they live with, there is nothing you can do to force them to stay in your life if they don't want to. 

It's essential to look at yourself in the mirror and figure out why your kid might not want a relationship with you. Not because it's necessarily your fault, but it's pretty uncommon for a teenager, even a pretty rebellious one, to stop talking to their parent for years without any real reason behind it. Maybe their other parent is encouraging them to keep their distance from you, because that parent holds a grudge against you and wants to have as little to do with you as possible. Maybe you did or said something that you don't even remember, let alone something that would hurt your relationship with your child! You can't force your kid to tell you what's going on with them, but it's important to try to salvage your relationship with your kid while you still can.

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  • Basketball player about to free throw
    via Kenny Eliason

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • The mom in this story is at a loss. Her son does not want to talk to her, and she has no idea why. He has been living with his dad for the past couple of years, and every time she attends one of his sporting events, he ignores her.

  • Am I wrong for not attending any sports events for my son?

    1 35 female have a son 17 who refused to talk to me? My son stopped talking to me almost 2 years ago when his father and I separated and later turned into divorced.
    via u/Useful-Shoe-6578
  • Before that we had a very good relationship.l attending everything for him the first year but he completely ignores me while I was there.
    via u/Useful-Shoe-6578
  • A man standing next to a fence holding a baseball bat
    via ksama

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • It was very emotional for me. I would cry from the rejection. He talks to everyone else in my family and they fully support him in everything he does.
    via u/Useful-Shoe-6578
  • They praise him for all his accomplishments, knowing how he treats me. It makes me angry when they speak of him.
    via u/Useful-Shoe-6578
  • It feels like a slap in my face! I try reaching out to him calling and text messages but he will not answer.
    via u/Useful-Shoe-6578
  • A woman talking on a cell phone while holding a purse
    via Omran Soliman

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I haven't given up on him but at this point I just can't get myself to go support him in person just to be let down.
    via u/Useful-Shoe-6578
  • Impressive-Union6961 YTA for leaving relevant information out. What are living and custody arrangements? What led to divorce? Why did he stop talking to you? Anyhow also YTA for considering abandoning your child even if they are an annoying teenager. Additional YTA for being upset he communicates with his family.
    via u/Impressive-Union6961
  • natkatlat Why does this read like she did something the son absolutely hated?
    via u/natkatlat
  • Sea-Operation-6123 Why doesn't he talk to you? People should praise him for his accomplishments. That has nothing to do with your relationship with him.
    via u/Sea-Operation-6123
  • Objective-Pound2185 Your son didn't just decide out of nowhere to stop talking to you - there are probably literal years of context we don't have. I wonder if he would say that your previous relationship was "good". Your family is not required to 'divorce' your son because he chose to go no contact with you. Would he even want you at these events?
    via u/Objective-Pound2185
  • Impossible_Nebula_33 "It makes me angry when they speak of him" So you're the problem... hope he continues to ignore you. Edit: OP you should add in the context that your son is a brat who was causing problems at home and didn't want to listen to rules so he went to the “fun house" that way nobody assumes you're the bad guy. Why leave that information out?
    via u/Impossible_Nebula_33
  • Minerva 786 I feel like there is important information missing. Why did he stop talking to you? Why did you separate then divorced his father? It's hard to have an opinion without all the facts but I feel like you are leaving valid info out. Was there infidelity involved?
    via u/Minerva786
  • Equivalent Lemon_319 ed The fact that OP is getting p off just by their child getting mentioned says quite a bit. She's probably the issue here
    via u/Equivalent Lemon_319
  • Useful-Shoe-6578 Original Poster's Reply I was a single married women. His father was absent attending events for our kids, eventhough we lived together. His father even disappeared 4 months from communication with my kids. We have 3 children. My other two children do come with me. We have 50/50 custody. My 17 year old son can decide whether to come with me or not because of his age. His father is suppose to be encouraging him to visit me but does not. His words, he won't force our son to have a
    via u/Useful-Shoe-6578
  • internet_drama Sounds like You were the more hands on parent which comes with rules. Kids that age don't like rules. Dad was not a present father. So he wasn't being a good dad, but all your son sees is mean mom with all her rules and he probably blames you for the divorce too. And dad is not helping the situation which further alienates him from you. I don't know if you can win. Don't go and he'll remember that you were not supportive and didn't care about him. Go and he gets annoyed and reject
    via u/internet_drama
  • Useful-Shoe-6578 Original Poster's Reply Thank you!
    via u/Useful-Shoe-6578
  • Wonderful-World 1964 YTA So, did you have an affair that broke up your marriage? Yeah, you reap what you sow. You didn't just cheat on your husband. You betrayed the family. You should keep going to his sporting events despite the cost to you. Imagine the cost to him if you quit showing up for him regardless of how he or anyone else behaves. Grow up.
    via u/Wonderful-World1964
  • Useful-Shoe-6578 Original Poster's Reply I did not. His father did.
    via u/Useful-Shoe-6578
  • Starchild1968 OP I am so sorry for how the dynamics of your relationship has fallen apart. It would be only conjecture on my part to speculate on why without knowing more on the situation. Nothing happens in a void. A catalyst had to occur. Was one of his parents unfaithful to the other? What other factors contribute to this? I'm leaning towards cheating and him trying to work out his place in all this. Give him time, he may be back in your life sooner than later. Has anyone ever apologized for
    via u/Starchild1968
  • Useful-Shoe-6578 Original Poster's Reply His dad did cheat. I did let that be know to my son at the time. It wasn't a healthy relationship between his father and I. We fought all the time. Of course I would always say I'm staying for my kids. Hoping it would be easier the older they were but that was not true.
    via u/Useful-Shoe-6578

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divorced sports teenagers ignore cheating dad high school family mom son
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