Man Calling Police on Widowed Brother for Leaving Kids at Workplace Praised

A man who called the police on his brother after the sibling dropped their children off at the former's place of work without asking has received support on Reddit.

In a post with 14,000 upvotes, user throwawy36222 explained that his brother is widowed and used to hire babysitters when he had places to be. However, since acquiring a new girlfriend he has "stopped hiring any help because his girlfriend claimed that she wanted the kids to warm up to and get used to her as the only woman in their life (?wtf?)."

The Redditor explained that he usually agrees to watch the two children (both boys) himself, but he has a demanding full-time job.

He detailed a situation where the brother was "going.... with his girlfriend to meet her friends and [he] wanted me to have the boys", but the OP refused. He then explained that the brother, uninvited, dropped the children off at the Redditor's place of work. "I was in a state of disbelief but also furious. I felt stuck and terrified my boss would see this and I get in trouble.

"I couldn't even take time off because of how busy I was. Out of frustration I called the police and explained what happened. They got hold of my brother and he was forced to come take them off me as well as get into trouble with the authorities who spent hours talking to him. My boss eventually found out and I had to leave work early and go home." According to the post, the older brother called later in the evening, and "started screaming at me calling me names of all sorts and saying that I not only ruined his meeting with his girlfriend and her friends, but caused him to get in trouble with the police. He called me a vile SOB and said that I could've had the kids with me for a couple of hours or even took them home and took the rest of the day off." He reports that the girlfriend was equally despondent.

Some on Reddit described the behavior of the older brother as "child abandonment." User GlassturtleOG posted: "NTA: that's child abandonment, plain and simple. The OP replied: "He'll probably argue that it's not child abandonment when the kids are left with family. Not saying agree, I'm just telling you how he'd respond if I use this argument with him. Regardless, our relationship is probably ruined after this."

Newsweek spoke to Jason Best, LCSW, therapist and founder of Chicago-based firm Best Therapies. He told us: "If you are dealing with a loved one making absolutely terrible choices, sometimes you have to set a strict boundary to protect your or others, and sometimes boundaries have consequences.

"This brother has certainly gone through hell in losing his wife, but in his infatuation with this new partner seems to be willing to endanger his kids' safety and the Redditor's employment, and make everyone miserable while he socializes in the middle of the day.

"His response after also confirms that he has little insight or willingness to take responsibility. We need boundaries to protect ourselves, and to enforce to others that it's not OK to take our time or safety for granted. The Redditor also mentions being screamed at by the brother and his new girlfriend. I would also encourage people to know that you don't have to take an abusive phone call, or stay on the line if someone is being nasty."

Back on Reddit, user EmeraldBlueZen said: "I agree it absolutely should be considered abandonment. But I'd be interested in knowing what the police call such a situation."

Bitter-Conflict-4089 wrote: "He didn't leave them with family. He left them with a stranger at your place of employment."

While dragonmom03 commented: "Your brother was already on the road to ruining your relationship. Your brother needs to understand that being a parent is priority over his personal life. Just because you're family is not an automatic built in babysitter."

Newsweek has reached out to u/throwawy36222 for comment.