Just because someone has a reason doesn’t mean there’s no impact. Yes, trauma explains behavior. Yes, burnout explains neglect. Yes, survival explains avoidance. But none of those things erase the harm done. Explanations help us understand why something happened. They don’t automatically make it okay. You can acknowledge the explanation and still hold your boundaries. You can feel empathy without re-opening your door. You can understand someone’s behavior without having to excuse it, forgive it,