Abby Connolly
Some people who are older siblings have to take on a role that’s similar to one of a parent for their younger sibling. It could be for several reasons, but regardless, it’s an intense situation to be in.
One young man feels unsure of what to do after telling his younger brother to stop calling him ‘dad.’
He’s 19-years-old and has a 6-year-old brother named Ed. He also has a few other teenage siblings, and they live with their mom. Their dad was in and out of the picture ever since Ed was born.
“My father has been in and out of our lives for the past six years,” he explained. “He was working abroad and providing for us during that time, but us kids have slowly started to forget his presence around the house.”
Then, in 2021, his dad told them he was leaving town for a relative’s funeral and never came back.
It’s been really hard on their mom, trying to raise a bunch of kids on her own, so everyone has pitched in to help. He’s been especially helpful in helping his mom bring up Ed.
“Ed always used to call me by my name, but recently, he’s picked up the habit of calling me dad,” he said.
“I felt very awkward at first, but after some thought, I figured it was an honest mistake and didn’t pay much attention to it.”
However, Ed has been referring to him as ‘dad’ more often, whether it be in private or in front of friends and family. It’s been making him very uncomfortable.
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