Mom Worried by How Much Her Daughter Likes Her Boyfriend Sparks Fury

A concerned mom sparked fury online after revealing that she was worried her young daughter likes her "very serious" boyfriend too much.

In a post shared on Mumsnet, she explained that she's been in a relationship with her boyfriend for nine months, and they are taking it very seriously. She introduced him to her daughter about three months or so ago and now her daughter is very against being home alone with her, throwing tantrums when he doesn't sleep over, which he usually does around three to four times a week.

It is estimated that over 50 percent of U.S. families are remarried or re-coupled, and about 50 percent of the 60 million children under the age of 13 are currently living with one biological parent and that parent's current partner.

According to the post, the woman's boyfriend is "an incredibly lovely person and is super fun with kids," and her daughter loves joking around with him. But while she trusts her boyfriend, she feels "rejected" and she's now worried about whether her daughter has formed too strong an attachment to him.

In the viral post, shared earlier this month under the username Cocavino, she asked the Mumsnet community: "Is this weird? Concerning? I don't know what to make of it."

Geoffrey Zeger, clinical social work/therapist, ACSW, LCSW based in Durham, North Carolina, told Newsweek that 6-year-old children can become emotionally dysregulated and have tantrums for a wide variety of reasons.

Zeger said that if the mom feels like this is a long-term relationship and wants to support the daughter/boyfriend relationship, she could consider FaceTime with the boyfriend when he is not in the house. He also suggested that she have the boyfriend give her daughter a stuffed animal, as a transition object, for comfort when he is not there.

Zeger added that if the tantrums are getting less and less over time, it means that her daughter is adjusting to the boyfriend not always being there.

The Mumsnet community thought that she was being unreasonable, with over 82 percent of the 386 votes on the "Am I Being Unreasonable" poll going to "You Are Being Unreasonable."

Most of the 192 users who commented in the thread also agreed.

One user, CatchYouOnTheFlippetyFlop, commented: "The only one being weird here is you! You have introduced a father figure into your young child's life, who is at her home the majority of the time, who she has fun spending time with, and misses him when he isn't there. It's an intense relationship for a little kid. What do YOU think it's odd? That's the question you should be asking yourself. Does something feel off with the relationship to you?"

And Feysriana said: "Nine months is a significant chunk of her life. She's falling in love with him too, as a father figure. If you guys stay together, that's fantastic. If you don't, not so much. I hope it goes well for you all."

Waterrat added: "It's not weird at all op. She has formed an attachment to him as [a] caregiver and someone she loves as is natural at her age. The problem will only be if he leaves her life if you break up."

Newsweek was not able to verify the details of the case.