Kathmandu, Aug. 18 -- When a parent migrates for work, they leave behind fragments of their presence, which, for a child, are never quite enough to make up a whole person.

As parents' migration for work becomes more normalised in Nepali society, we might be underestimating its psychological cost, a complex understanding of presence and absence in the children's minds.

Through FaceTime, voice memos, pictures, and videos, their parent's embrace is known but never truly felt. As a result, they neither become fully connected nor entirely foreign, leading to a sense of ambiguity in their grief.

Sunika Joshi is a mental health professional specialising in trauma, neurodiversity, child and adolescent mental health, and suicide prevention. She...