A blindsided father whipped Redditors into a frenzy when he revealed that he called his brother-in-law a joke of a father in front of his wife and kids. The backstory that follows is a lesson in how NOT to set up a touching family reunion.
His Wife Died of Cancer
OP’s sister married her high school sweetheart right after graduation. A few years later, they had a daughter who is now 16 years old.
Shortly before she gave birth, though, OP’s sister was diagnosed with cancer. She underwent treatment but died when the little girl was just two years old.
OP’s brother-in-law didn’t handle his wife’s death well and just shut down. He eventually worked in another country to escape all the thoughts and memories.
When he left, the brother-in-law asked OP and his wife if they could care for his daughter while he got settled. They happily agreed.
He Signed Over Parental Rights to His BIL
But months turned into years, and the brother-in-law eventually signed over his parental rights to OP and his wife. They have raised the girl since then as their own daughter.
OP’s sons consider the girl their big sister, and she considers them her little brothers.
Over the years, the girl and her dad stayed in touch, writing letters back and forth all the time. He also sent some money to OP to help cover expenses but never returned for the girl.
As the girl grew up, her dad’s brother did help OP out a little bit with her upbringing. She’s now reasonably close to that uncle and spends some time with his family at least once a month.
He Got Remarried and Had Two More Daughters
In the meantime, the girl’s biological dad, now 40 got remarried, and he has two daughters with his new wife. However, he didn’t share any of that with OP or his daughter.
Instead, the girl’s uncle told OP about it after her dad decided not to invite his first daughter to the wedding.
Recently, when OP drove his daughter over to her uncle’s house for a visit, he stopped cold in his tracks when he hopped out of the car. The girl’s father was there with his new family.
OP was getting ready to leave when his former brother-in-law came out of the house and approached his daughter. The long-lost dad tried to hug the girl, but she pulled away from him.
He Was a Joke as a Father and a Terrible Excuse for a Man
OP snapped when the man asked why she didn’t want to hug her dad.
OP asked his former brother-in-law how he thought he was anything but a pen pal to the girl. Then he said he was a joke as a father and a terrible excuse for a man.
OP didn’t realize then that his brother-in-law’s wife and daughter heard what he said.
When OP returned home, the girl’s uncle called him upset. He agreed that his brother wasn’t much of a father, but he thought OP went too far by calling him out in front of his family.
Did He Do More Harm Than Good?
OP apologized to his niece for talking bad about her dad in front of her. She shrugged it off and said the truth hurts sometimes.
Now, though, OP wonders if he did more harm than good by lashing out and hopes he didn’t devastate his niece despite her stoic reaction.
Redditors overwhelmingly support OP’s actions in this case.
The Truth Hurts…
Like his niece, many say the truth hurts, and it was time to lay it on the line for the girl’s dad.
Most think his new family needed to hear the truth, too. Some say it was the best thing OP could have done to help his niece move on with her life.
She Called the Police Because He Was Doing His Job! But He Was in the Right
The post Abandoned Daughter Faces Heartbreak: Father Returns with New Family, Ignoring Years of Neglect first appeared on The Net Worth Of.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Ollyy. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
Source: Reddit