When I was a teenager, I didn’t want to talk to my father at all - simply because he’d left my mom and me years ago for another life. And you know what? I didn’t care that he and my mom were, by all appearances, completely incompatible, and that their love had probably faded quickly. He cheated on her - and that was enough for me in those days.
The narrator of our story today shares roughly the same views. A teen who has never forgiven his father for offending his mom this way. And who doesn’t even want to meet his new half-siblings, completely dismissing them as family. But let’s take things one step at a time.
More info: Reddit
Divorce is, in many cases, one of the most painful things in people's lives, but for their kids, it often becomes even more harmful
Image credits: freeograph / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The author of the post is 18 years old, and a few years ago, his father got caught cheating, then divorced and started a new family
Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The man remarried his former affair partner, and now they have two babies, the author's half-siblings
Image credits: syda_productions / Freepik (not the actual photo)
However, the teen wants neither to be present in his dad's new life nor to consider these babies his true siblings
Image credits: Calvyyyx1
The father and grandma tried to talk with him numerous times, but to no avail - the teen just burned all bridges between them
So, the Original poster (OP) is now 18 years old, and a couple of years ago, his father cheated on his mother, after which he divorced her, moved to another apartment, and later remarried to his affair partner. The man likely expected his son to remain present in his new life, but his expectations were completely unmet.
The OP believed that by cheating on his mom, his dad had burned all the bridges that had connected them as close people. The man tried to justify himself by explaining that their marriage had been a heavy burden for both, and that he’d planned to divorce anyway when his son came of age… Well, the dad apparently didn’t have the patience to wait another couple of years, or he didn’t expect to be caught red-handed.
Furthermore, when his father had two babies, one after the other, our hero had absolutely no desire to meet them. The dad tried to meet him with his kids after school, but the teen always turned away and left. His father invited him to visit his new family, but he flatly refused. He simply didn’t consider these kids his true siblings.
Even when our hero’s grandma tried to influence him, telling him that in 30 years he might bitterly regret his hasty youthful decisions, the author still didn’t change his mind. His father ceased to be a close person to him when he cheated on his mom. Period. However, the author still decided to ask netizens for advice regarding his story.
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Statistics are relentless: more and more often, American families today end in divorce. According to the Census Bureau, in 2022, only 47% of all households were married couples. Data also shows that the typical family structure is increasingly shifting away from the traditional and so-familiar “two-parent marriage” model.
At the same time, experts directly identify parental divorce as a major cause of stress among kids and teens. For example, this article at News In Health notes that parental divorce, especially if accompanied by traumatic factors such as infidelity, typically has an extremely negative impact on teens’ behavior, sleep, emotions, and overall well-being.
The consequences for children can also be more than significant. For example, the authors of this article at The Conversation rightly note that much of the stabilization of family relationships after divorce depends on the presence of conflict between parents. The mental state of adults also plays a significant role, so in the situation we’re describing, adults perhaps could’ve handled it better.
People in the comments overwhelmingly supported the author, placing all the blame for the current situation on his father. According to responders, even simply living next to someone while planning to leave the family is rather cruel. Maybe the OP will change his views over time, but for now, the commenters are confident that he’s perfectly understandable. So do you, our dear readers, agree?
Most commenters unanimously sided with the original poster, blaming this situation on his father only
