Rich parents shun daughter while showering her ex-husband with support: ‘They called me a failure. said I was a loser during the worst period of my life’

Author image for Etai Eshet
Etai Eshet • Editor
Mar 4, 2025 6:00 AM EST

Some parents can't help but turn their love into an icy slope, and one woman is finding herself stuck in a downhill race she never signed up for. After making the bold decision to leave a marriage that wasn't working, she thought her parents might throw her a lifeline or at least a kind word. Instead, they strapped on their helmets, tightened their bindings, and went full-speed into the freezing territory of disapproval.  

Her ex-husband, in their eyes, is the perfect skier: graceful, polished, and rich enough to hit all the black diamond runs without breaking a sweat. She, on the other hand, is apparently the clumsy amateur tumbling down the bunny hill, unworthy of a lift pass to their love and support. In this family, staying unhappy in a picture-perfect marriage is the only way to avoid wiping out on the frosted slopes of their judgment.  

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  • "My wealthy parents (70s) disowned me (40F) for leaving my marriage but just invited my ex-husband (42M) on a luxury trip with my kids (5F, 8M, 10M). How do I handle this?"

    "Unless they could at least stop insulting me, they would no longer have access to their grandchildren"
    via Robert Kneschke

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • When she found happiness with her new partner—someone stable, kind, and, heaven forbid, local-bank-employed her parents didn’t celebrate. They pointed her straight to the off-pist of shame, complete with accusations of failure and a total freeze-out from their affection. Meanwhile, her ex was given a prime spot on the family lift, ready to ascend to the peaks of their approval with her kids in tow.  

  • I (40F) was married to my ex- husband for 13 years, and we have three kids together (5, 8, 10). He's a kind man and successful in his career, but we didn't make each other happy, so I decided to separate. A year
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  • later, I fell in love with my best friend, and another year after that, my ex-husband found love with a colleague. We're both happy and happy for each other.
    via palmtreemountain
  • My parents, however, have been absolutely horrible throughout this time. They adored my ex- husband, but in my opinion, more for his wealth than his character. My parents are wealthy too, so he
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  • was considered part of "their class." My new partner is also successful in his field, but he works at a local bank, which, according to them, isn't an "acceptable" career.
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  • When I told my parents I had separated, my mom screamed at me, saying no other man would ever be accepted by my side. She assumed I was cheating- because why else would I leave such a "great" man? I begged
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  • them to just understand how deeply unhappy I had been, nothing more. Just to acknowledge that I was struggling. They absolutely refused.
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  • The months that followed were horrific. I felt immense pressure to "fix" my marriage. My mental health deteriorated rapidly-I fell into a deep depres on, my anxiety skyrocketed, and if it weren't for my best friend (now
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  • my partner), I don't know what I would have done. I eventually spent six months in a psychological day clinic, where I learned one essential truth: I am allowed to choose happiness.
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  • During this time—the worst period of my life—my parents called me a failure. My support system, they said, was "rotten," and I was a loser. All I had wanted was their approval-or at the very least, a sliver of understanding.
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  • My brother had gone through an ugly divorce years earlier (my father even had to testify in court), so I understand their fear. But my ex and I had a great relationship. The difference? My brother's new wife is a multi- millionaire, which, I suppose, makes acceptance easier.
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  • CNAY
    via SeventyFour

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • I distanced myself from my parents. My mother is narcissistic, and I began to realize how much that had shaped my self-worth. But as a mother myself, I kept hoping they'd just be happy for me.
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  • Last year, my father and I had a long conversation in which he admitted he could see how some aspects of my ex-husband's personality might have affected my happiness. I was so relieved that I immediately called my mother that evening. What
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  • followed was one of the most vicious conversations of my life. She insulted everything that brought me joy. My friends? All losers. Me? Too stupid and
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  • incompetent to ever have a career. My partner? A selfish b rd who "took advantage" of my weakness to worm his way into my heart. She was drink, and it was ugly.
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  • I defended myself without ever insulting her. I reminded her that I have a Master's degree from an Ivy League school, that I was building my own business, but that my priority at the time was my mental health. She dismissed
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  • it all, telling me how "incredibly successful" she was (a narcissistic exaggeration) and that she would have never even considered hiring me because I was such a failure. A failure at everything. I
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  • pointed out that I was younger than she had been when she started her business, and unlike her, I at least had a degree― meaning I had other job opportunities.
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  • More than anything, I regret not recording that call. She has since told everyone that I insulted her, claiming I demeaned her for never having gone to college.
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  • That I basically called her stupid. My brother and father were horrified. I tried to explain, but my father ultimately sided with her.
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  • Eventually, I told my parents that unless they could at least stop insulting me, they would no longer have access to their grandchildren.
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  • Cheezburger Image 10475272704
    via Prostock Studio

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Since then, contact has been minimal. I reached out on Christmas, New Year's, even my 40th birthday—but my mother is ghosting me, and my father remains distant. I'm currently
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  • saving up for a house so I can move closer to my partner, which means I don't travel when I have the kids. Instead, we go camping or take day trips.
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  • As I mentioned, my parents are extremely wealthy. They regularly travel with my brother and his family on extravagant vacations— and, unsurprisingly, I've been cut out of their will. Right now,
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  • they're skiing at a five-star resort. And today, I found out from my ex-husband that they invited him ―for four days-with our kids. All expenses paid.
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  • I have no words. I've been crying all day.
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  • Now she’s left at the base of the mountain, wondering whether to keep trying to climb their frosty walls of resentment or just fasten her own skis and carve out a life free from their cold judgment. 

  • All I ever wanted was for them to be kind. I've made it clear they could see their grandkids when they're with me. Instead of addressing the situation, talking things out, or even attempting to be decent human beings, they're
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  • going behind my back and inviting my ex-husband. This feels like a slap in the face-to me, to my new partner, to my ex's new partner. It's as if they're rewarding my ex-husband while making sure I feel excluded.
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  • The trip alone costs around $3,000 for those four days― money that I could desperately use for, well, anything.
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  • My ex-husband is not going. He agrees that my parents' behavior is incredibly strange. But I don't know how to move forward. Do I reach out to my father? Let it go?
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  • TL;DR: I (40F) divorced my ex- husband (42M) amicably, but my wealthy parents (70s) never accepted it. They adored my ex, likely more for his status than his character, and treated me horribly when I left. My mother
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  • insulted everything about my life, called me a failure, and spread lies about me. I set boundaries, telling them they couldn't see my kids (5F, 8M, 10M) unless they stopped insulting me. Since then, they've barely spoken to me, but
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  • today I found out they invited my ex on a luxury ski vacation with my kids-all expenses paid. I'm heartbroken and don't know how to respond.
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  • SpecialistAfter511 Your ex had your back good for him. Stop contacting your parents. Do not reach out ever again. Your mother is ab ive. Seek therapy. Will help you understand your mother's behavior. It's not your fault.
    via SpecialistAfter511
  • residentcaprice power play from parents. since you "defied" them by restricting access, they are using this to show they can get access to your kids by any other means. and to get access through your ex would cut you more than anything.
    via residentcaprice
  • your parents are the worst. you can defend your dad, but the fact that he readily believed his wife over a child he raised himself shows that you're really on your own. ignore them for your own mental health.
    via residentcaprice

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