Stepmom pushed a 17-year-old boy to celebrate her pregnancy — then demanded an apology after he called out his dad

Dealing with divorced parents can be tough on the child, but dealing with a divorced parent's new partner is a whole new ball game. A 17-year-old boy with the username u/Natural-Bat7423 on Reddit shared how he unintentionally upset his father's new girlfriend by not caring enough about her pregnancy. The boy lived with his mother ever since his parents separated, but visited his dad once a month. The story was shared on April 30, and it gained 12,000 upvotes and 1,300 comments.

'Her baby will be no different'

The boy explained that he and his mother wanted to end visitation rights, but because his father never missed a day, he had to wait until he was of legal age. Over the years, the father has had three other children with other women, making the boy indifferent to his father's new girlfriend's pregnancy. For context, the other children were raised by different men who were married to their mothers, so the boy's father did not have to pay a dime for child support. The boy was given a chance to get to know his newest half-sibling, but he expressed no interest. "He already has three kids I have nothing to do with and her baby will be no different," he wrote.

The reasoning

The new girlfriend had just found out about the author and encouraged him to build a sibling bond with her unborn baby. She tried to invite him to go baby shopping and to see a special scan, but every single time, he refused. She was genuinely shocked that he was not interested in her pregnancy and asked him why. He told her about his dad's history with other women, and said it was no different with her. He explained how he was not close with his other half-siblings and considered himself an only child.

The girlfriend got upset, cried, and locked herself in the room the entire time he was there. She told him that she wanted better for her baby, and he replied by saying that his father was the wrong man. Before going home, his father urged him to apologize, but he refused. A few days after the incident, the girlfriend texted his mother asking for an apology, and a promise that he "would actually try to be a good brother to her child," but the mother ignored the message.

Why blended families don’t always feel like family

A nationwide Pew Research Center survey was conducted between October 1 and 21, 2010, on 2,691 adults to understand the demographics of American families. Four in ten adults revealed that they had a step-relative. This includes stepparents, stepchildren, and stepsiblings. While they may believe that family is the most important thing, they may show a slightly higher obligation to their biological family members.

Out of all the respondents, 42% stated they have at least one step-relative, 18% have a stepparent who is still alive, 13% have at least one stepchild, and three in ten have a step-sibling. Coming back to the boy's story, his reaction might seem harsh, but having no connection to his half-siblings and seeing the pattern in his father's relationships, he may not be drawn to forming another bond.

The people in the comments supported the teen boy and called out his father's actions. u/BoulderNerd pointed out, "NTA. Familial relationships do not automatically mean you must partake in them." u/Ok_Drink8072 could relate to the author's situation and wrote, "NTA, I’ve been in your shoes, and it sucks. If she wants siblings for her kids, she can have a second kid, or knock on the doors of your dad’s other kids. You are almost done with your obligatory visits. Just get through it."

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