A frustrated young man recently took to Reddit after he showed up on his dad’s doorstep and made him look bad in front of his stepbrothers. This is his full story.
Despite Their Divorce, His Mom and Dad Were Planning His Grad Party
OP is a young man on the verge of high school graduation. He lives with his mom, but both of his parents were planning to host his grad party together.
Long before the event, OP’s dad gave him his half of the money for the party so his son could start planning.
OP appreciated the gesture and saw it as his dad trying to make some amends for the rocky relationship they’ve had over the years.
OP’s parents had gotten divorced when he was 4 years old. They split custody of him, and he and his dad remained close for several years.
But His Dad Had a New Wife and Family
Then, when OP was 10, his father started dating a woman with three kids of her own. The new couple got married when OP was 12, and that’s when his relationship with his dad really started to go downhill.
Almost immediately, OP’s dad started to prioritize his stepchildren over his natural son. He often canceled plans he had made with OP to do something with his new family, sometimes trying to pull OP along.
Often, OP’s dad would try to convince him that the new plans were better anyway.
But OP had trouble understanding how, for instance, taking his stepbrothers to a play park was better for him than going on a hike with his dad.
His Dad Kept Cancelling Their Time Together
And there were other times when OP’s dad pulled out on him at the last minute. Like when they had planned to go to a concert together but the father decided to stay home and paint his stepson’s room instead.
It was all devastating and deflating to OP, and he learned not to expect much from his father. That went double when it came to finances.
OP tells the story of the time that his mom and dad were supposed to split the expenses involved with a trip OP was supposed to take with one of his teams.
It had been planned for months, and dad promised to pay half, but then he called to say that he needed the money to buy birthday gifts for his wife’s twins.
His Mom Always Saved the Day
As always, OP’s mother stepped in to save the day, taking out a loan to cover her ex-husband’s half of the expenses.
But with the money for his graduation party already in hand, OP thought that maybe he and his dad had turned a corner.
Then, shortly before graduation, OP’s dad called him and dropped another bombshell. One of his stepkid’s was being bullied at school, and dad wanted to use the money to buy a birthday gift to cheer them up.
Hurt and fed up with always playing second fiddle, OP drove over to his dad’s house and gave the money back to him. OP said he didn’t want the older man at his graduation and to stay out of his life.
Did He Go Too Far?
OP’s dad was angry and called his son to say that OP had embarrassed and hurt his other kids, who witnessed the scene. The dad’s wife also freaked out on OP and started harassing him by phone, so he blocked her.
Now, OP wonders if he went too far and is worried that his relationship with his dad may never be the same.
Redditors almost unanimously support OP. They think his dad has wronged him time and time again, and they say it’s time for OP to move on.
He Didn’t Go Far Enough!
Some think that OP didn’t go far enough and are amazed that he has been so gracious over the years. Many don’t think he should have given the money back.
Other commenters went out of their way to give kudos to OP’s mom, who seems to always step up when the dad lets him down.
So, what do you think of this story?
Was OP right for cutting off ties with his dad? Or should he have tried to work things out?
And do you think OP should have kept the money his dad already gave him?
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The post He Was Sick and Tired of His Dad Letting Him Down Over His ‘New Family’, so He Cut Them Off! first appeared on The Net Worth Of.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Asier Romero. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
Source: Reddit