Some parents cannot afford to care for their children. Some have to work so many hours to make financial ends meet that they have nothing left for quality time. Some parents are in jail. Some parents are drug addicted. Some have lost custody.
Some parents abandon their children.
No matter what the reason, most children feel a sense of deep loss. During the twenty years I have worked as a school psychologist, I have counseled with hundreds of children who are not being raised by their natural parents. The majority of these children hope to be reunited with their parents someday. Let children know that it is okay to hope, but be realistic and honest. Do not say dad has gone away to college if he is in prison.