Newly Widowed Father Of Two Leaves His Stepkids And Everything They Owned At Their Grandparents' House After Spending Months Tolerating Their Disrespect

Everyone is asking: if OP is neither guardian or parent, where is the father and why hasn't he stepped up?

Chelsi

• Published in Interesting
• February 22, 2024

His wife's sudden passing brought changes and challenges in a Redditor's life. OP admitted to the catastrophic event breaking him, but the attitude of his wife's kids from a previous relationship made the situation even worse.

After his wife's death, OP's stepkids decided not to listen to anything he said because he was not their father. OP understood how difficult it was for them to lose their mom while they were still teenagers.

They were never his biggest fans, to begin with, but their opinion of him seemed to have reached a new low. They at least used to treat OP and the house they all lived in with respect.

OP offered solutions to repair their relationship, but nothing worked. His stepkids wouldn't agree to see a counselor, nor did they appreciate the support and space OP gave them.

His stepchildren's paternal grandparents blamed OP for not being more patient with the kids. They advised him to be more understanding because the teenagers went through a lot.

What ultimately made OP give up happened during a dinner with his stepkids' paternal grandparents. OP told the children it was time to go because it was his younger kids' bedtime.

The teenagers told him that they didn't want to leave. They said OP should drop his kids off at the house and return to pick them up.

OP's two kids are under five, and it was a two-hour drive to their house.

The grandparents said OP was being too hard on them and should let them stay for as long as they wanted to.

OP had a difficult enough time managing everything after his wife's passing without his stepkids' grandparents stressing him out. So, he took their final advice to let the kids stay as long as they wanted.

OP went home, packed everything his stepkids owned, and dropped their bags at their grandparents' house. It was as if a weight was lifted off of OP.

His house was in order and his children were happier. His stepkids' paternal family called OP out, but he wasn't fazed.

They all said he didn't have a right to be a parental figure in the kids' lives, so OP just followed that. He has kids who need him now more than ever.

OP explained why the kids' father didn't figure into the story.

His stepkids' dad should step up to take care of his children instead of passing his parental responsibilities onto other people.

OP also clarified that it wasn't his wife's parents who badgered him. The people making the loudest noise were the parents and family of his late wife's ex-husband.

OP also had to shoulder the cost of raising his stepkids because their dad stopped paying for child support when OP's wife passed away.

Poor OP couldn't even focus on his grief and his children's welfare because he was too busy putting out fires his stepkids set.

It's so concerning that their dad didn't immediately go home to set things up for his kids once he learned of his ex-wife's passing.

As difficult as it was, OP had to decide what was best for everyone. He was fighting a battle he was never going to win.

No one in that family even thought about what OP was going through. He lost his wife and now has to keep things together for his two little children.

He was doing them kindness when he attempted to raise kids who treated him like a punching bag. Since they are so much wiser than OP, raising two belligerent teens going through a difficult period should be a breeze.

Chelsi