Ben described being called a “brat” online for distancing himself from his mother to protect his mental health.
He said users often claim removing contact with family members is now becoming a trend – but Ben believes becoming estranged is the “last resort” for many.
Trying to put the decision in context, he described everyone’s inner child as wanting to be loved, and said: “Cutting off a parent is getting rid of that chance of being loved.”
At the time, he thought his childhood was just like everyone else’s, but looking back, now he believes it was emotionally unstable.
It was when the father-of-four from Bridgend was expecting his first child in 2020 he started to question things, as he wanted to be the best father he could be.
Yet after what he described as continued “patterns of behaviour”, he took a step back from his relationship with his mum.
In 2023, he started posting about his thoughts and feelings online.
“Every video I posted I had to take a deep dive into my life, and my own childhood and see why I do what I do, and why other people did what they did,” said Ben, who has gained diplomas in psychology and cognitive behavioural therapy.
“I started speaking about things that no-one was, and it just blew up.
“It’s changed my life… and I was just talking about me.”