16-year-old calls stepfather “not his real father” in retaliation for what he says about bio dad, mom intervenes: ‘Why’d you have to humiliate him like that?”

Author image for Briana Viser
Briana Viser • Writer and Editor
Jul 7, 2025 12:00 PM EDT

Welcome back ladies and gentlemen of the internet. Most kids don't love the idea that they'd have stepparents. No one can really blame a kid for being put off to see their parents get divorced, the sundering of a marriage and the entire family dynamic, the implosion of their life unfolding right in front of them. No one would smile through that kind of chaos, and being young bereft of your frontal cortex properly or fully developed is the biggest hindrance to dealing with life's hurdles maturely. I'm 31 and I feel like I'm just beginning to understand my emotional landscape, and how I deal with things. No one tells you how to cope with stuff, so it's no wonder the world is full of crazy people.

 

In the story below, the protagonist is a teenage boy who has stepfather he'd rather not have. Read the full story below for all the juicy details. 

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  • 01

    AITA for always saying my stepfather is not my dad or real dad in retaliation for him calling my dad my birth father or "the guy who made my son"

    Cheezburger Image 10526067968
    via Africa images / Canva

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    My dad d d when I (16m) was 8. My mom married her husband when I was 12. We don't really see eye to eye and a big reason is he's called my dad my birth father or "the guy who made my son"
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  • 03
    since he and mom moved in together. To me birth father. sounds like I was adopted or I'm a donor conceived kid which I'm not. I'm not her husband's son
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  • 04
    either so him calling my dad the guy who made his son me off. I told him and I told my mom that I didn't like how he talked
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  • 05
    about my dad. He told me I was being nitpicky and sensitive and he's just letting people know he's the person raising me now.
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  • 06
    My mom told me there are worse things than being called his son and a lot of kids would be giddy if a stepparent claimed them. I told. her I'm dad's son and will never
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  • 07
    be her husband's. She told me she loved dad too and used to think it would be weird to be another man's wife but she said it's so healing to let someone else in. Then she asked me why I
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  • 08
    M
    via RomoloTavani from Getty Images / Canva

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 09
    couldn't be happy to have two dads and I told her because I don't and I don't want two dads either. She said that made her sad and I told her that her sadness didn't help me with her husband.
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  • 10
    When I called him that she visibly cringed and told me it was such an impersonal way to speak
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  • 11
    about him. I said to speak to her husband about that when he calls my dad the guy who made his son.
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  • 12
    For four years me and my mom's husband have been tense over this and last year I started always saying he wasn't my dad or he'll never be my real dad. I'll even do
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  • 13
    it when he's being nice because he still talks about dad like he always has. It gets under his skin and it pleases me. It upsets my
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  • 14
    mom and given she didn't care about how I felt I decided to ignore it.
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  • 15
    But the other night he blew up because I told him he wasn't my dad in front of his friends and family and friends of my mom. He told me I'm being disrespectful
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  • 16
    when all he's ever done is try to be a good dad and I told him he's not my dad and my dad isn't my birth dad or the guy who made his (stepfather's) son. I'm dad's
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  • 17
    son. I will always be dad's son and I told him I would never want to be his son and my dad would. never want me to be his (stepfather's) son either.
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  • 18
    Cheezburger Image 10526068480
    via Olga Kriger / Canva

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 19
    My mom asked me why I had to humiliate and disrespect him like that. I told her he can shall over my dad's memory so I will shall over him and I don't care. I said
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  • 20
    she chose him and I didn't and he's made me determined never to accept him not even as a
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  • 21
    friend. She told me retaliating like I am isn't fixing anything and I'm hurting their feelings.
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  • 22
    I really don't care. I'm still angry at his choice of words. But I know it's petty so I want to know if I'm an AH?
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