Mom Refusing To Help Ex-Husband With Childcare After His 'Affair' Praised

A single mom has been praised online for refusing to help her ex-husband with childcare after his "affair."

The internet has backed the divorced mom-of-two who refused to pick up her ex-husband's sick child from school.

The woman, u/Scary-Rub8906, shared her side of the story to the popular Reddit forum r/AmITheA**hole.

She earned over 15,700 upvotes and 2,800 comments for her post, for leaving her ex-husband's sick child at school as he could not get them, and his new wife was recovering from chemotherapy.

In a lengthy post, the single mom explains she divorced her ex-partner of 13 years after discovering he was "cheating."

Speaking about the alleged affair, she said: "He got her pregnant either right before he told me, and that was why he confessed, or right after. But our divorce was not an easy one. He wanted to stay "friends" and I could not look at him after what he did."

She continued to explain how her ex-husband had a daughter "within months" of their separation followed by a son and a baby loss which led to the discovery that his wife had cancer.

According to the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, national surveys indicate that 15 percent of married women and 25 percent of married men have experienced intercourse outside of their long-term relationship.

The shock diagnosis led to "fighting" between the original poster and ex as he asked for help with the children who are five and three years old.

She pointed out that his family had disowned him following the "affair" due to religious reasons and the new wife hasn't got any family to turn to.

The plot thickens as the mom wrote about a recent predicament she found herself in.

"What I did not expect was for him to tell his daughter's school to call me when she got sick. He was at work at the time and couldn't leave apparently because he had already missed a lot of work due to his wife, and she was home recovering from chemo. I got the call, and was asked if I would pick her up, and I said 'no.'"

The original poster continues: "Several hours later I got reamed on the phone by him for leaving his sick child at school when I knew they had nobody. This is when he told me how he couldn't leave and how his wife was resting. I told him the babysitter for his son should have been called over me. He told me he was in day care and I should be f*****g ashamed because she was a sick child who is going through a lot and I could have helped."

Whilst admitting feeling "bad" after the incident, the mom asked others if she was in the wrong to which many responders felt she did the right thing.

The top comment racked up over 21,000 upvotes, it said: "He has the nerve to try to manipulate you after cheating? Those aren't your kids and not your problem. I also feel bad for the girl but it's his mess to solve. Give an inch, he'll take a mile. Say no now to prevent future problems."

Another wrote: "Your ex is trying to use your basic decency to manipulate you. No responsible parent puts down an emergency contact without getting confirmation from the contact. This is all on him. As sad and unfortunate a situation as it is for his children, you have the right to refuse to be their carer. He put his daughter in this position, not you. He is to blame for any discomfort she may have experienced."

Some Reddit users have advised seeking legal advice too.

Redditer, u/creditspread said: "The ex's circumstances have changed so has his ability to care for the kids. Definitely talk to your family lawyer to increase the custody time of your kid."

User, kidhauler55, agreed: "Yes! This! Get with your lawyer. Document everything, the phone call from the school etc. this isn't healthy for your sons or you."

Another said: "Exactly. He has been making decisions without consulting you. If you start saying yes to small things he is going to get bolder and bolder. He needs to start paying for more help or try to rebuild his relationship with his own family."

Newsweek reached out to u/Scary-Rub8906 for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.