Dear Laden:

Reads like he “is distancing himself” because you email him or text him, you see that he is online, not driving or otherwise helping relatives, relatives, and yet, he doesn’t respond to you for hours (“I see him go online but he doesn’t respond to me til hours later”).

Instead of ending a mostly non-existing relationship with him, why don’t you send him a message, or meet him in person, tell him calmly and in a non-accusatory way that he has been distant even when he is online, not answering your messages for yours, and you want to know what is happening with him. Then wait for his answer.

When a person experiences a loss of a family member that was dear to them, a person may withdraw from newer relationships and stick to the old and familiar, where they feel safe.

anita