As a naive little kid, I always felt that all parents naturally loved their children. Later, I realized that some do it just because they legally have to, while some don’t love them at all. This honestly made me thank my lucky stars that I grew up in such a caring home.
Even the original poster’s (OP) son grew up in a loving home all because of his dad, despite his mother abandoning him. However, 25 years later, the evil past came knocking at their door in the guise of his grandma. Read on to see what he did!
More info: Reddit
Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with two parents who love them more than anything
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
The poster became a single dad when his wife left him with a newborn, and he suspects his mother-in-law brainwashed her
Image credits: RichardBmn
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Apparently, she was too young at 24 to have a baby, but he was 21—yet he decided to stay to take care of their son
Image credits: RichardBmn
Image credits: Casey Tucker / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
He hoped that someday his wife would realize her mistake and return, but that never happened, and eventually, they stopped talking about her
Image credits: RichardBmn
Image credits: Kampus Production / Pexels (not the actual photo)
However, after 25 years, his mother-in-law suddenly showed up, acting all affectionate and as if she had never abandoned her grandkid
Image credits: RichardBmn
Image credits: grustock / Freepik (not the actual photo)
She got immediately offended when the poster's son didn't treat her like a grandmother, as grandkids are "supposed" to
Image credits: RichardBmn
Instead, he threw her out of the house, and she left, cursing the poster for raising a "rude and impolite boy"
Today, we dive into quite an old story that will leave you confused and questioning family relationships. It all started when Reddit user RichardBmn and his wife became pregnant when he was just 21 years old and she was 24. After their baby was born, she realized that she was too young to be a mom and abandoned their son with OP.
He always suspected that his mother-in-law had some influence on this decision, as she kept saying her daughter was too young during the pregnancy. However, unlike her, he decided to stay and take care of the baby that he loved so much. He mentions that there were a few people who helped him a lot, but he always hoped that his wife would return. Sadly, that never happened.
Growing up, his son used to ask about his mom, but after realizing that she would never return, they both forgot about her. Until one day, when OP’s mother-in-law came knocking on the door 25 years later, and he was just shocked. She even acted like she never left and had always been there for the poster’s son, like a loving grandma.
She was offended when he didn't treat her with affection. But granny had no sensible answer when her grandson asked why she had abandoned him. Apparently, she returned because grandkids are supposed to look after their grandparents. Ugh, the audacity! She even rubbed in the fact that her daughter had moved on from her “mistake” and now has a husband and two kids.
God alone knows what she expected out of this, but the grandson had heard enough and immediately asked her to leave. She left; however, she didn’t go quietly. The poor poster had to hear what an “impolite and rude boy” he raised, and netizens were just aghast!
Image credits: Pablo Merchán Montes / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
It’s insane to think that this woman felt she could latch on to her grandson 25 whole years after she and her daughter had abandoned him. To better understand the impact abandonment has on kids, Bored Panda reached out to Eden Lobo, a counselor and psychology professor.
She said that when one parent walks away at birth, and a child is raised by the other, it can definitely affect the child, but it’s not all doom and gloom. “What really matters is how the single parent shows up for them. Kids might feel confused, sad, or even wonder if they did something wrong (they didn’t).”
“As they grow up, they might have questions about their identity or struggle a bit with trust or self-esteem, especially if they don’t understand why the other parent left. But here’s the good news: with a loving, supportive parent who’s consistent and honest with them, kids can absolutely grow up to be strong, happy, and confident,” she added.
Prof. Lobo believes that the key is having a stable, caring environment and maybe some extra support, like therapy or close family and friends. She also stressed that kids don’t need a “perfect” family; rather, they just need to feel loved, safe, and valued. She also added that in the story, the poster had done exactly that, and it clearly showed in his son.
Our expert also spoke about the harmful impact it can have on a person when someone who has abandoned them suddenly shows up. However, she believes that, in this case, it was necessary, as the man saw what kind of a person his grandma was and would never again think of reconnecting with her.
Prof. Lobo also said that what might truly hurt the man is knowing that his mom had “moved on” and had a family of her own. Even netizens felt that the evil granny was just rubbing this hurt in OP and his son’s faces. I'm really glad he kicked her out—aren't you, too? Let us know in the comments!
Netizens couldn't believe the audacity of the lady and didn't shy away from calling her names for her "grandma entitlement"
