Life often presents moments where we must take a stand. Sometimes, it’s a simple decision, but other times, it can be one of the most difficult choices we ever face.
This was the reality for a father in the following story. His relationship with his son reached a breaking point, leading him to essentially disown his child. However, the circumstances surrounding this decision have left many people questioning whether he was justified.
Here’s what happened: The father allowed his son to live in a home he had purchased, rent-free. Not only that, but he also covered the property taxes. For a while, things seemed to work out. But when the son moved his girlfriend into the house, tensions began to rise, and the situation quickly spiraled out of control.
The story raises an important question: Was the father right or wrong in his actions? Read on and decide for yourself.
My wife and I bought a four-bedroom house in PA that my son lives in. Our son went to College in PA and wanted to stay in the area. So we bought the house as a second home, we live in NJ and commute into Manhattan for work. We figured that he would have a place to live and we could visit every so often and spend some quality time together.
We pay the taxes and services/maintenance on the house, our son pays for his groceries and the house utilities. All was going well for a few years, our son meets a girl and they get serious. We met her and she seems nice enough. They announce their engagement and she moves into the house with our son.
Now for the problem: The wedding !!!
We hold a little get to know you BBQ at the PA house, my son and daughter are there, as are our son’s fiancé and her parents, and sisters. We all seem to be getting along well, my wife, daughter and the fiancé go into the house along with her mother and sisters and my son. A few minutes later my wife and daughter come out and are really upset. They come over and tell me we’re leaving and driving back to NJ. I try to find out what happened.
Once we get back to NJ and they calmed down they tell me that our son and his fiancé along with her family don’t want us at the wedding. According to what I was told "We’re not their kind of people”. I was livid, I called my son and asked him WTH this was about. He tells me that her family feels that we are not good enough and will embarrass them at a family wedding and that we are all uninvited from the wedding.
I let a week go by to calm myself down and drive back to the PA house, the new future in-laws are in the house along with the fiancé. It appears that they all moved into the house They ask me why I’m there, I tell them that since we aren’t invited to the wedding, I was coming over to talk to my son. They tell me to leave their house. I lost it, and told them that they had 30 days to get out. Tell my son I’m selling the house and he could find somewhere else to live with all of you. I go to a realtor in town and list the house for sale.
They call my son at work and tell him what I said. Apparently, they thought that he owned the house. He calls me and asks why I’m selling his house, I tell him I paid for it along with the taxes on it and it is mine. He was living there rent-free, but since he doesn’t want us in his new life, he has to get out. I tell him the same as I told his future in-laws they have 30 days to get out then I’ll get a lawyer and get them evicted.
Am I the AH for taking a hard stance on this? He is my son but the in-laws seem to take over and we no longer count.
