Single Mom Says She Doesn’t Want 5-Year-Old Son to Wear One Particular Shirt His Dad Sent Him. Here’s Why
"If he really wanted to and cared enough about him, he would ask to FaceTime him and talk to him on the phone," the mother wrote
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Stock image of a mother holding her young sonA single mother says she's putting her foot down when it comes to one gift her child's father sent them.
In a post on Reddit's "AITA" forum (which stands for "Am I the A------"), the woman said her son is 5 and that he's only meant his dad once "when he was about 2 years old."
Overall, the woman said the boy's father "doesn't have anything to do with him," besides things like asking "for pictures of him once in a while" and sending over gifts a few times a year.
Despite not having much of a relationship with his son, the mother said that her son's father recently sent her some clothes for the boy, and that one of them read "something like 'daddy's little man.' "
The mom said that she refused to let him wear it.
"He's in the Air Force and is in a different state but if he really wanted to and cared enough about him, he would ask to FaceTime him and talk to him on the phone," she explained, going on to ask her fellow Redditors what they thought.
Those in the comments widely agreed with the mother, claiming the father had no right to depict himself as an active dad.
"It’s understandable not to want your son wearing a shirt that misrepresents his dad’s involvement. You’re the one raising him, and you get to decide what’s best," one commenter wrote. However, they went on to caution that "if your son doesn’t care, it might not be worth a battle."
Meanwhile, another Redditor noted that when he was away from his son for six months, he was in constant contact with him — and that especially with modern technology, there's "zero excuse" to not have a connection with your child.
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One practical solution? Find that shirt a better home ASAP.
As one commenter put it, "Donate it to Goodwill so a struggling but actually involved dad can pick up something new for his kid."
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