Dad Threatens To Take Toddler to Remote Canadian Cabin Against The Mom's Wishes

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Sep 2, 2023 5:00 PM EDT

I am not one of those girlies who secretly wants to be a hermit in the woods. I've spent extended periods of time alone, and for me, it leads to nothing but sorrow. I love living in a city because there are so many resources around me at all times. If I want to go rock climbing, there is a rock climbing gym within walking distance of me. If I wanted to go rock climbing in the suburbs, I would have to drive 20 minutes to get there. If I wanted to do it in the woods, I would have to interact with actual rocks and actually put myself in danger, and I'm just not willing to do that. You shouldn't go to somewhere remote if you're not capable of surviving without Google Maps, and I am definitely one of those people. 

One father thought it would be a good idea to bring his 2.5-year-old son to a remote and dangerous cabin in the Canadian wilderness, and his much smarter wife took to Reddit to try and stop that from happening. 

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  • 01
    Font - r/Amlthe/ u/LilRed CaliRose • 1a AITA for not letting my husband take our toddler to a remote island cabin?
    via u/LilRedCaliRose
  • 02
    Font - My husband (41M) wants to take our toddler son (2.5M) to his remote Canadian cottage without me. This cottage is in another country (it's in Canada, we are from the US), so on top of it being a 4.5 hour flight away, it requires a 3 hour drive and then a 30+ minute ferry ride, as the cottage is located on an island that is ONLY accessible by boat. Last time we stayed at the cottage, there was no hot shower water for the entire 5 days. Before that, I was exposed to bats in the sleeping room
    via u/LilRedCaliRose
  • 03
    Font - Before that trip, we lost power and had no hot water and I had food poisoning (the water is unfiltered from the lake). It's always something going wrong and I'm just so, so, sick of it. I told him I'd stay for 2-3 nights next year, but I don't want to stay 5 nights again. It's also very difficult with a toddler who never sleeps through the night. This cottage means a lot to my husband (he has fond memories of being there with his family and friends when growing up), but it has always been
    via u/LilRedCaliRose
  • 04
    Font - Now he is threatening to take our 2.5 year old son there for a week+ without me, which I find unacceptable. I have never threatened to take our son anywhere without his consent, much less to another country. Our son is afraid of flies (screams and cries whenever they get near) and doesn't sleep through the night. I don't think he will enjoy this trip that he's too young to consent to, especially with his mom gone.
    via u/LilRedCaliRose
  • 05
    Dress - AITA for telling my husband that I won't allow him to take my son to a different country without my consent?
    via u/LilRedCaliRose
  • 06
    Font - avocadosdontbite • 23h Pooperintendant [55] ΝΤΑ This isn't about different likes and dislikes, this is about safety issues. Bats that bite you in the night requiring that you drive to New York for rabies shots (yikes!) Untreated water that causes food poisoning. This is not a safe place for a 2.5 year old. Period.
    via u/avocadosdontbite
  • 07
    Font - If your husband wants to make this the family getaway every year then HE needs to get off his and put some energy into fixing the place up FIRST. So he needs to fix the water situation, and if the water that comes into the house can't be made safe, then he needs to ensure there is enough bottled water for everyone to use. He needs to get the cabin completely sealed up so that no bats can get in. If he says "that's impossible" then he can go there on his own and be a wild grizzly mountain
    via u/avocadosdontbite
  • 08
    Rectangle - Square_Owl5883 - 23h Her driving to new york to get a rabies shot does not make any sense. Canada has vaccines lol. 42.8k ...
    via u/Square_Owl5883
  • 09
    Font - rncikwb. 22h Partassipant [1] OP's health insurance plan may not provide global coverage meaning if she went to a clinic in Canada she would need to pay out of pocket. Canada has free healthcare, but that doesn't extend to visitors. ... 5k
    via u/rncikwb
  • 10
    Font - Icy-Consideration47 • 23h ΝΤΑ If there is a legitimate health concern (unfiltered water, no heat without sufficent other heat sources, rabies, etc.) Then it would be very irresponsible to take a child younger than 5 there for an extended period, especially without both parents. Additionally, threatening to take a child somewhere against the wishes of the other parent is a thing to do without extreme extenuating circumstances. "I wanted to" is not extreme extenuating circumstances.
    via u/Icy-Consideration47
  • 11
    Font - That being said, if he really wants to go, and you would be willing to for a short period, I would advise treating it more like a camping trip (bringing extra heaters, sleeping bags, backup power/propane stove/etc) and possibly staying in a hotel with the kiddo for a day or two/flying out later so he can get there and clean out any pest creatures first. This is clearly important to him, so it's a good idea to be flexible, but make it clear that if he tries to take your child out of the co
    via u/Icy-Consideration47
  • 12
    Font - DisneyBuckeye. 21h Supreme Court Just- [145] Add to the fact that he wants to take a 2.5 year old on a 4.5 hour flight, THEN rent a vehicle and load it with all the luggage/supplies he's taking, THEN a 3-hour drive, and THEN a ferry ride, just to get to the island. How is he going to wrangle a toddler (and keep him from being hysterical the whole way) plus the luggage and supplies he'll need by himself? This would be a logistical nightmare with a half dozen adults trying to do it. It soun
    via u/DisneyBuckeye
  • 13
    Font - • 23h He_Who_Is_Person Colo-rectal Surgeon [47] ΝΤΑ It's a remote island cabin. If something goes wrong, help is not getting there in time. And OP elsewhere in the comments posts that her husband has ignored issues with their son multiple times and those issues turned out to be legit after a visit to the doc's office, therefore, she doesn't fully trust his judgment in situations where something might be going wrong with a kid.
    via u/ He_Who_Is_Person
  • 14
    Font - > forbid a I mean, in a general sense it is spouse from doing something. But in this case it's justified, and perhaps is even her duty as a parent. Besides, kids don't really start to form memories that last until sometime after 3... Reply 1.5k
    via u/ He_Who_Is_Person
  • 15
    Font - tomatofrogfan • 23h NTA. is up with your husband threatening to abscond with your child to a remote and potentially dangerous cabin outside of the country? That's like instant-divorce words. It's literally illegal for your husband to take your son out of the country without your consent. Maybe let him know that. anyone that wants to argue the cabin isn't potentially dangerous, spare me. If anything goes wrong there's no way they're getting any level of medical attention in less than an ho
    via u/tomatofrogfan

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Canada dads remote aita bugs bats canadian reddit story parenting dad cabin reddit thread parent Reddit Parenting Fail parents Parenting FAILS subreddit
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