As though cheating on their partner is not enough, some people even hurt their children by forcing them to bond with their affair partner. It can be really heartbreaking how much kids have to suffer because of something stupid or nasty that adults did.
For instance, this man’s mistress wanted to be the “bonus mom” for his kids and got violent when they refused to bond with her. Their mom was furious, but she was baffled by her husband as he was just letting it happen and even sided with his mistress. Here’s how it went down…
More info: Reddit
It's really sad to think that sometimes, kids suffer the most because of their parents' mistakes
Image credits: noxos / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster and her husband had four kids, but she found out that he was having an affair and also had a baby with his mistress
Image credits: Wavebreak Media / Freepik (not the actual photo)
While divorcing, she co-parented with him for their kids' sake, but his mistress kept trying to act like a "bonus mom" for them
Image credits: bristekjegor / Freepik (not the actual photo)
However, the kids didn't really like her as she forced them to be friendly to her, while also bad-mouthing their mom in front of them
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
One day, when the poster's youngest daughter didn't greet the woman, she grabbed her hand, and the poster was furious
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The frustrated poster reminded her that she was not their mother, and she would never replace her, so she should respect it
Image credits: anonymous
However, she got a text from her ex that his mistress just wanted a "happy family," and the poster was shocked that he sided with her
In today’s episode of men and their mistresses acting high and mighty, we dive into the life of the original poster (OP) as she tells her dramatic story. Not only did her 35-year-old husband (Dan) have an affair with a 23-year-old coworker (Kennedy), but they also had a 1-year-old son when his wife found out about it. Naturally, they were divorcing, but co-parented their 4 kids.
However, Kennedy was the real problem as she inserted herself into everything, forced the children to bond with her, and also bad-mouthed the poster in front of the little ones. Naturally, they didn’t like her as she acted like a “bonus mom” for them. This lady also felt she had “won” in life by giving the man his first son, and even expected OP to co-parent with her.
One day, she just took things too far with the poster’s 5-year-old daughter, as the child only greeted her dad, but not her. When told to greet her as well, the kid stated that she was not her mom, which infuriated Kennedy so much that she grabbed her right in front of the poster. Obviously, our lady was livid and reminded her that she wasn't their mom and would never replace her.
What really baffled OP was the text she got from Dan later, as he tried to justify Kennedy's nasty behavior. He claimed that all she wanted was a happy family, and she was really hurt by what the poster had said to her. Well, our lady just couldn’t believe how clueless the man was, but still disciplined her little daughter to respect the woman, even if she didn’t like her.
Image credits: peoplecreations / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Netizens felt really awful for the little children who were suffering because of the “bonus mom.” Research emphasizes that a stepparent should never try to take the other parent’s place, physically punish stepkids, assume a position of authority, interfere with co-parenting discussions, actively counter the other parent’s wishes, or bad-mouth the ex.
Well, Kennedy was doing all this while also getting violent with them in front of OP. Who knows what she might be doing behind her back? A study indicates, “Stepfamilies tend to create a more stressful environment, which can increase the risk of child maltreatment. Step-parents with weak emotional bonds or low self-worth and self-control are also at higher risk of acting violently with children.”
Some folks also argued that Kennedy was trying to alienate the kids from their biological mom. Experts claim that 19% of the population in the United States has been exposed to parental alienating behaviors. They further elaborate that because of this, kids may develop a confused sense of self-perception and fail to remember how to trust their perceptions.
Netizens also warned OP to keep a record of everything that will help her case. However, they were disappointed that she was disciplining her child for the woman’s behavior. After all, why should the kids be forced to bond with someone that they don’t want to? Don’t you agree with them? We would love to hear your thoughts, so drop them in the comments below!
Netizens called his mistress immature, but many said that the poster shouldn't discipline her daughter for resisting the woman
