Finally, after a year of back-and-forth, Stephanie's husband asked whether she and her parents would be willing to have a mediated conversation on how to improve their overall relationship. They asked a trusted family friend who was a pastor to mediate. When he sent an email to the people who would be participating in that discussion, Stephanie's mother seemed to interpret the very act of asking for a meeting as an act of aggression. She replied with, "It's too bad that Stephanie has decided to never talk to us again. It's so sad that Stephanie has made this decision, and that we're never going to see our grandchildren."