Dad Reveals Why He Refused To Make Son Delete Facebook Post Slamming His Mom
His ex was not happy.
Some folks might not have a relative to call or a friend to vent to, so they venture into one popular website: Reddit. Reddit threads, or subreddits, are in abundance on the site, and they get very specific.
One man on the website turned to the subreddit "Am I The A--hole" to ask users if he was in the wrong for allowing his son to post disparaging comments online about his wife.
AITA is a Reddit thread where users open up about a conflict in their lives and seek other users’ opinions on the matter.
He lets us know that his bond with his son is strong since he is a stay-at-home dad and the mother is more “hands-off” due to her job.
The man revealed he was refusing to make his son delete a cruel post about his mom.
One of the man’s close friends is in a band and offered the son a trip on his tour since he has a son of his own around the same age.
The man posting the story goes on to say that his son is a "good boy" and so he told him maybe. He checked in with his wife, and she said it’s okay.
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“Fast forward to the beginning of last week when he got packed up and set to leave. My wife asked where he was going, I reminded her, and she said she thought I was joking," he explained.
"I had no idea what part of it sounded like a joke, but she claimed my son wasn't allowed to go. I eventually persuaded her after our child went to his room in near tears.”
The son has a great time on his trip with the father's friend and documented it online in a post that made some jabs and his mother.
"The caption was a long one but included such gems as 'this almost didn't happen, thanks mom.' And, 'Friend spent a lot of his free time with me (unlike my mom.)'"
Immediately after learning about the post, the man's wife wanted it removed.
Their son refused to listen to her so she quickly asked her husband to intervene but, opting not to support his wife, the man said he would not talk to their son.
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I told her that while I didn't think what he was doing was right, it was clearly coming from somewhere," he explained to Reddit.
"And that somewhere was a place in which he was feeling unheard and ignored by her. She's been ignoring me since."
Reddit users critiques left little room for empathy.
“Of course your wife is ignoring you…you’re supporting your son publicly disrespecting your wife because of a simple misunderstanding between you two about the tour,” one Reddit user said.
“Your son is 14…yes, there will be plenty of times where he’s upset with either of you and will want to vent," added another.
"But you just told him that it’s ok to passive-aggressively post those emotional and hurtful words publicly. You just supported him in hurting your wife instead of teaching your son to handle those emotions in a healthy and respectful way."
Some users even went as far as to play therapist.
A downfall of posting online about family disputes is that there will always be people who make assumptions and jump to conclusions.
One user speculated about the resentment the father may hold to the mother.
“You are supporting an insult to your wife that publicly humiliated her (kind of all of you, since your son looks like a brat and you kinda ineffectual if your kid bad mouths people in public)," they wrote.
"Maybe you resent her for being absent, but you need to deal with that as an adult.”
In the end, the man who posted his story was taught about the power of communication, and he updated users on the situation by mentioning they will be having a family meeting soon.
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Taylor Haynes is a writer for YourTango's news and entertainment team who covers human interest, pop culture and current affairs.