50-year-old father expects his four adult children to help him raise a newborn baby, whom he intends to gain custody of: ‘We all have our own lives going on’

Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."

Feb 11, 2026 2:00 PM EST

When you make a life-changing decision, it's important to understand that no one else is responsible for the choice you've made.

Many mothers and fathers adore parenting so much that they continue to have children late into their lives. Sometimes this is planned, many times it is not. The important thing here is that they know the consequences of having little ones late into their 50s. Raising a child isn't a walk in the park by any means, and the parenting life only feels more strenuous as you get older and need more relaxation time to feel good and ready for the day. When you expect a village, all because you realized too late that you're not cut out for the task of raising a child again, you're in for a rather uncomfortable awakening. That's what happens with this 50-year-old man, who wants to gain full custody of his newborn baby. The caveat? He expects his four adult children to help raise them, even though they have children of their own. Scroll below if you want to read the full story.

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An older man holds a baby on his shoulders, backlit by warm sunlight.
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"AITJ for telling my dad none of us are going to help him raise a baby at 50"

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There's something clearly admirable about the poster's father, who wants to take responsibility for his part in the creation of this life. But what comes with responsibility is understanding that it is solely his responsibility. The father is not entitled to extra help from his kids because of his decision, especially since these children do not have a say in what he decides to do with his life. What do the children have a say in? Their boundaries. That includes refusing to play live-in nannies, or worse, a second mother or father. It's an unfair situation, and the father is acting too entitled to his children's time.
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Hands hold a crying infant.
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