A father has taken to AITAH subreddit to ask if he was wrong for getting angry at his sister after she made an insensitive comment about his son.
He explained the situation online
In a post made on the Reddit community, the original poster (OP), 32, explained that he became the guardian of his 9-year-old son at the age of 3 when his mother passed away.
He explained that the little boy’s dad wasn’t active in his life at the time, so he decided to take him in.
OP has been the boy’s dad since then
“I have raised him since then, and he calls me Dad because that is what I am to him,” he said of the child whom he referred to as A.
“Everyone in my family knows this, and it’s not a secret. A also knows he is adopted, but we keep things simple because he is still young.”
But his sister has always been ‘weird’ about it
The dad said that this sister, 29, has always been ‘kind of weird’ about his son’s situation.
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“She never says anything rude directly, but makes little comments like calling me his guardian or uncle-dad. I usually ignore it because A never seemed to notice,” he shared.
His sister then upset the boy
“Last weekend at my moms dinner A was showing my sister his school project and said he wanted to make Dad proud,” OP shared.
“My sister laughed and said, ‘Well technically he is not really your family, but I am sure he is proud anyway.’”
The dad didn’t appreciate the comment
OP noted that he could see that A was hurt by the comment, adding that the 9-year-old ‘went quiet and stopped talking’.
“I asked my sister what her problem was and she said she was just telling the truth and that someone needed to be honest before A grew up,” he wrote.
He then lost his composure
“I lost my temper and told her she was way out of line and if she cant respect my son then she should stay away from him,” OP wrote.
“She got mad and said I overreacted and embarrassed her in front of everyone.”
The comment clearly got to the boy
“My mom is trying to stay neutral, but said I did not need to make a scene,” OP continued.
He added that the little boy didn’t speak much for the rest of the night and when they arrived home, he asked the dad if he was ‘allowed to stay with me forever.’
His sister demanded an apology
“That broke my heart,” the dad said of the boy’s request.
“Later my sister texted me saying I owe her an apology for blowing up and that I am too sensitive because he is not my real kid. I have not replied,” he added.
He’s now asking if he did the right thing
The dad concluded his post by asking if he was in the wrong for the reaction to his sister’s comment.
Many noted that his reaction wasn’t wrong, with one person writing, “TBH, NTA, You’re this kid’s parent in every way that matters. He sees you as his dad, respects you & it’s clear he needs you.”
They wrote that it’s the sister’s problem
“If [your sister] can’t respect that bond, she’s the one who needs a reality check, not A. Family ain’t just [about] DNA. It’s about love & commitment, which [you’ve] obviously shown. Stay strong man. A is lucky to have [you],” the commenter added.