Bad Dad Demands Son's Graduation Money Back to Give to His Step-Child

Brad Dickson • Managing Editor

Jun 6, 2022 5:00 PM EDT

Imagine trading out your own children for the child of your new spouse. That's the kind of cruel reality that is hard to envision, but the reality is that there are those of us out there who have had to experience this very thing.

This thread was posted to Reddit's r/AITA (Am I the A--Hole) subreddit by Redditor u/Cheap-Tour9949.

He explains that his father has repeatedly let him down, and as a result, the two have a "rocky" relationship. After his parents split, he remained a good parent until he met his new wife and prioritized her children over his son, repeatedly canceling plans with him in favor of the step-kids or inviting them along to their father-son excursions.

This carried on through his teens, the same story of repeated disappointment. Now it has passed a breaking point as his father has demanded that he give his college graduation gift back to him so that he can give it to one of his step-children instead.

u/Cheap-Tour9949 is wondering if he is wrong for handing it back to him in front of the step-children and telling him that he no longer wanted him in his life and not to come to his graduation.

The internet has declared, and we'd tend to agree, that there is nothing here that he has remotely done wrong. However, we hope that he can manage to cut off this relationship with his father and find peace and happiness despite the cruel hand that fate has dealt him.