This story gets a little spicy, so you might want to pull up a chair and prepare yourself for the ride. We all know that tensions between co-parents can exist, especially when an affair was involved that led to that point. But this tension might just be on an entirely different level for this family.
An 18-year-old took to Reddit to see if he was in the wrong for telling his stepmom not to comes to his high school graduation after she and his dad tried to get him to tell his mom not to attend. But there's more to the story.
The high school student gives some background.
So here is where the tea comes in. The kid explained that his mom and dad had gotten divorced when he was 3. At the time, his dad had an affair with his now-stepmom. "My mom and stepmom were work rivals and had a strong dislike for each other even before the affair. There has always been speculation that this is why my stepmom willingly became the other woman, because she disliked my mom." He stated that he became aware of the drama through other family members.
His stepmom experienced three miscarriages.
"My parents did not get along after the affair and tensions were high whenever my mom and stepmom were in the same room. My stepmom had three pregnancies that ended in miscarriage. The first two were I guess typical/normal miscarriages but the third one caused my stepmom a lot of medical issues and that led to her being infertile. So she and my dad never got to have a living child together."
More from LittleThings: Stepmom Refuses To Do Her Stepdaughters' Hair Every Day Even Though Their Mom Wants Her To
The stepmom wants more time with the stepson.
Due to his stepmom not being able to have any children on her own, she wanted her stepson around more often so it'd increase the time they got to spend together. As original poster put it, "she wanted to feel like a parent and she wanted to know she would still have me." The stepmom and dad ended up asking the OP's mom if they could get extended time with him. "My mom laughed in her face and told her she didn't care what she had been through and she would not let me be used as a band aid."
The mom and stepmom had an argument.
"My stepmom argued that she deserved compassion for what she was going through and it would be good for me to get that little extra attention and love since I wasn't going to have siblings ever. My mom told her she'd never have compassion for her and didn't feel sorry for her at all. She told her she didn't deserve to be a mom after taking part in the end of my stability within my family. She did blame my dad too but that has never been focused on as much by my dad and stepmom or his family. After that my mom and stepmom were never in the same place together. They had third parties take care of exchanges of me until I was old enough to hop out of a car and into the home I was returning to."
The dad and stepmom try to influence the son's views on his mom.
Upon finding out that the OP was aware of everything that happened with the trio, the stepmom and dad tried to paint the mom in a negative light. They "were vocal about mom being cruel/hurtful to my stepmom and that was why they weren't ever in the same room together. A few times I picked up on their desire for me to hate my mom for them but I don't. I try to stay neutral, which my mom encourages, but if I have to pick, like with this, I'm #TeamMom all the way."
The dad and stepmom tried to get OP to disinvite his mom from his high school graduation.
The kid then goes on to share that he's graduating from high school soon and his stepmom and dad explained that the stepmom doesn't feel comfortable being around his mom. "They told me they feel it would be best if I make it clear to mom that she can't be there. I told them my mom will be there. Then my stepmom told me she can't be in the same room as her after what she did. So I said just don't come. I told her I wasn't going to beg her to be there. I wanted my mom there and they weren't going to stop me. They asked me how I could say that knowing how mom treated my stepmom and they asked me to be more compassionate. AITA?"
Reddit users weighed in, many taking the kid's side.
"It sounds like you and your mom are the only adults in the group," one person commented.
"NTA – Jesus, move away as soon as you can," another person advised. "I’m surprised you haven’t asked to stay with your mum full time at some point. Where was your stepmom’s compassion when she broke apart your family? I’m #TeamMom too, your mum deserved way better and so did you."
He adds that his mom encourages him to have a relationship with his dad and stepmom.
The OP replied to the comment saying, "I live with my mom now. This started when I was 17 though I do see my dad and stepmom because my mom encourages me not to do anything on her behalf. But at this point it's more about me."
People called out the stepmom's toxic behavior.
"NTA," someone continued in the comments. "There is no way your stepmom is assuming she has more right to be at your graduation than your actual mom? I'm so sorry you have to go through all of this."
Another person chimed in: "OoooooWeeee these two are quite delusional, aren't they? Stepmom really got a dose of the Threefold Law, and now wants to come off as the victim. Let her stay home and stew, and if your Dad won't come because his wife won't, then he can enjoy sitting in the stew with her. NTA."
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
