Father refuses to allow ex-wife's new husband to take his 10-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son out alone, citing child safety risks: ‘To me he's just a stranger’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Sep 21, 2025 8:00 AM EDT

A parent's duty is to ensure their children's safety at all costs. A mother and father brought that child into the world, so it is only morally right to raise and care for them, too. Not everyone is cut out to be a parent, despite this fact, but this is not the case with the father in this next story.

It doesn't take a village to raise a child; A loving parent—a super-parent, if you will— is all that's required to be the force field your child needs when they're young and still figuring out how to exist in the world without unsafe obstacles standing in their way.

So, it's understandable that the father here doesn't want his ex-wife's new husband taking care of his two young children alone. The father admits that his ex-wife did not wait long to marry this man, and commenters raise concern about the new husband's eagerness to exist in the children's lives. The children admittedly don't yearn for a connection with this man either, and the father refuses to put his children in a potentially uncomfortable and unsafe situation. You can never be too careful as a parent, and this father takes precautionary measures with that in mind. Scroll to read.

Advertisement
  • a couple of children laying on top of a rug to display childlike wonder
    via Andrej Lišakov For Unsplash+

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • "AITA for not letting my ex's husband take our kids out for the day when he requests it?"

    My ex (36f) and I (36m) had two kids (10f and 8m) together before our relationship ended 7 years ago. I have primary custody. She has visitation that sometimes
    via Jonhnah
  • is supervised and other times is not. My ex is mentally ill and has trouble taking care of our kids which is why this is the arrangement. The
    via Jonhnah
  • sometimes supervised sometimes not depends on our custody evaluations and if I notice something off and need to file to return to supervised sooner. Right now she has non- supervised visitation.
    via Jonhnah
  • My ex got married in April 2024. My kids have met her husband and spent time with him during their mom's visitation. He's not someone they are attached to and they do
    via Jonhnah
  • not have the kind of relationship where they want to see him more. It has come up because their mom asked. To the kids he's the man their
    via Jonhnah
  • mom lives with. Neither one of them sees him as a member of their family and they don't call him their stepdad which my ex mentioned and
    via Jonhnah
  • complained about via our co-parenting app in the past. But I have never tried to change my kids' perception because he's not someone they spend a lot of time with. Neither is their mom.
    via Jonhnah
  • Since December of last year my ex's husband has requested time with the kids about once or twice a month. He'll text me saying he wants to take them shopping or to the
    via Jonhnah
  • park or somewhere else and would I be okay with him taking them for the day. Four of the times he has asked this he said he would like to spend more
    via Jonhnah
  • time with the kids and build up a better relationship with them as their stepdad. I have always said no because of how my kids talk about their relationship with
    via Jonhnah
  • him. I'm also not entirely comfortable with the idea. To me he's a stranger and I don't trust my ex's judgement all that much. She has a bad
    via Jonhnah
  • track record since her struggles began and I don't think spending time with him would benefit my children.
    via Jonhnah
  • man looking at his phone displeasingly after an uncomfortable conversation
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • The last time he asked and I said no he responded asking why and claiming I was being petty and jealous because he should be allowed to spend time
    via Jonhnah
  • with the kids because he's a part of their parenting unit now, even if his role is not a large one. He also stated he feels like I never gave him
    via Jonhnah
  • a chance to be good to my kids. I told him I had to think of my kids before other people's feelings and wants. His response was I should want to add to my kids' family.
    via Jonhnah
  • While he might have a point and I don't even know if he does. The risks far outweigh any potential benefits in my opinion.
    via Jonhnah
  • But like I said I don't see any benefits. I see it being worse if my ex and her husband's marriage ends or if he turns out to be a danger. I don't want
    via Jonhnah
  • my kids to carry the weight of this either and I know how they feel about him and the situation. But I'm here asking because maybe I'm too close to the situation to know if I'm being an a hle about his requests. AITA?
    via Jonhnah
  • cassowary32 NTA. Some people prey on single moms for access to their kids. Might not be the case here but I don't see a reason to go beyond what the court mandates. He can see them when your ex is supposed to have them.
    via cassowary32
  • No-Consequence3985 NTA. I find his persistence worrisome. He's not the parent. He's just someone your mentally unstable ex married. What do you know about him? Not letting your kids go hang with someone you know very little about is a smart thing. You are doing the right thing!
    via No-Consequence3985
  • Great_Art2493 NTA, if their mother should have supervised visits, then why does he think he can be alone with them, creepy.
    via Great_Art2493

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

family dynamics family drama entitled parents entitlement kids reddit story family feud parenting entitled family step family step father reddit thread parent Reddit parents children entitled people Parenting FAILS
Scroll Down For The Next Article