Estrangement are children hardwired to love their parents ?

Most children appear to be biologically predisposed to form strong attachments to their parents or primary caregivers. This is one of the central findings of John Bowlby's work on Attachment Theory.

From an evolutionary perspective, this makes sense. Human infants are completely dependent on caregivers for survival, so the brain is wired to:

Seek closeness to caregivers.

Feel distress when separated.

Look to caregivers for comfort and protection.

Maintain the relationship, even when the caregiver is inconsistent or harmful.

This doesn't mean children automatically feel unconditional love in every situation. Rather, they are strongly motivated to attach. Many children who experience neglect, abuse, or emotional unavailability still deeply love their parents and seek their approval. Some even blame themselves instead of recognizing the parent's harmful behavior because preserving the attachment feels safer than accepting that a caregiver is unsafe.

As children grow into adulthood, things can change. Adults may decide to distance themselves or become estranged from a parent if the relationship remains harmful. In many cases, that decision is not because they never loved their parent—it may be because the relationship became too damaging to continue. Research on family estrangement suggests that many estranged adult children describe the decision as difficult and made after repeated attempts to improve the relationship, rather than an absence of love.

So, the short answer is: yes, children are generally hardwired to form deep attachments to and usually love their parents or primary caregivers. However, that innate attachment does not guarantee a healthy relationship, nor does it mean an adult child must remain in contact if doing so is emotionally or physically unsafe.