'My son deserves to be treated like one of her own': Stepmother tells her 10-year-old stepson to get out of her biodaughter's birthday picture, then gets berated by the boy's disappointed father who wants his kid to feel equal

Advertisement
  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10429480192
  • 02
    AITAH For Losing It On My Wife After She Told My Son to "Get Out of the Picture" at My Stepdaughter's Birthday?
  • 03
    I'm really struggling here and starting to feel like I'm losing my mind. I think I'm being gaslit, so what better place to get some clarity than Reddit? Here's the situation.
  • 04
    I've been married to my wife for 8 years, and on the whole, we have a good relationship. She has four kids (two daughters, two sons, ages 11-16) from a previous relationship, and I have one son, who's 10.
  • 05
    Since day one, I've treated her kids as my own and done my best to support the family. Financially, it's a big load, but I'm happy to do it. We live together in a five-bedroom house, where each of her daughters has
  • 06
    their own room, her oldest son has his own, and her youngest son shares a room with my son. The main issue-and what's tearing me apart—is how she treats my son. She
  • 07
    barely acknowledges him, rarely asks how he's doing, and generally acts like he's invisible. Tonight, it hit a breaking point. We were celebrating her daughter's 11th birthday, and everyone was gathered to sing and
  • 08
    take pictures. I told my son to get in with the group for a picture, which seemed fine. But then, right after the group photo, my wife looked at my son and told him, "Get out of the picture, move to the side-I want one with just my kids."
  • 09
    I felt like my heart shattered in that moment. I completely lost it. I told her that we're supposed to be a blended family and that my son deserves to be treated like one of her own. I feel like
  • 10
    she's drawing lines between "her" kids and "my" son, and it just doesn't sit right with me. For context, my son's biological mom passed away two years ago, supposedly
  • 11
    from C vid complications, though she had a history of drug problems that may have worsened things. My son only has my wife now as a mother figure. I'm terrified that this rejection from her
  • 12
    is going to hurt him deeply and cause psychological damage. Am I asking too much for her to treat him like part of the family? I don't want to
  • 13
    be overreacting, but the way she flat-out ignores him is painful to witness. AITA for expecting her to step up and include him?
  • 14
    classabella I would hate to know how she treats him when you are not around!
  • 15
    Outside Echo5995 This. My step mom treated me horribly when my dad wasn't around. I'd tell him, and she'd just gaslight me and lie to him. She'd also walk around in a see-through nightgown without anything underneath when he wasn't
  • 16
    there. She kicked me out of the house when he was in the hospital and told him I'd just left and didn't say anything. We barely spoke for 2 years, and then my boss told him he was being an a hle and i was a great
  • 17
    kid. He finally spoke to me, and I told him everything that had happened, except the see-through night gown. He finally listened and divorced her soon after.
  • 18
    AttemptOk3481 So glad you commented. Even worse than "not having a mother figure" is having an emotionally ab ive, one. And worse than THAT is a parent who won't protect their own child from that. Divorce is what is needed here. I'd be OUT of there.
  • 19
    Just Wondering_4871 You need to remove yourself and your son from this toxic environment. I cannot imagine the hurt he has endured and the damage she's already done to him.
  • 20
    Comprehensive Put5569 If she hasn't stepped up in 8 years, she never will. YTA for subjecting your son to your horrible wife for way too long.
  • 21
    oy-cant- YTA because you know this isn't the first time she's treated him like this. She's known him since he was 2 years old? She's a horrible human. Do what's best for your son. -you're not overreacting, you are not reacting enough-

Tags

Scroll Down For The Next Article