Her Boyfriend Wouldn’t Stop Referring To His Ex-Girlfriends’ Pets As “His Children,” So She Finally Told Him It Was Bizarre
This 29-year-old woman and her boyfriend, who is 30, have only been dating for a few months– even though they’ve been friends since 2022.
But recently, one of her boyfriend’s habits has been really irking her: the fact that he refers to all of his ex-girlfriends’ pets as “his children.”
For instance, her boyfriend was once in a two-year relationship about eight years ago, and he shared an apartment with his ex. At the same time, his ex had a cat from before their relationship ever started.
And now, even though her boyfriend and his ex broke up nearly a decade ago, he still has a picture of the cat in his living room. Not to mention, he refers to the pet as his “firstborn.”
“He is still friends with that ex, but the cat died in the meantime,” she explained.
Then, following the end of that relationship, her boyfriend had another relationship that lasted from 2020 to 2023. This relationship was long-distance, and again, his ex had a pet– a dog– before they even started dating.
The dog also mostly stayed at his ex’s family’s home. However, whenever her boyfriend visited, he would spend a good amount of time with the pup. Then, whenever her boyfriend’s ex visited him, she would also bring the dog along.
“He calls the dog ‘my son’ and still talks a lot about the dog,” she revealed.
“This ex is living in another country, the dog as well, and they are barely in touch anymore.”
Valerii Apetroaiei – stock.adobe.com- illustrative purposes only, not the actual people or dog
So, she eventually got really fed up with her boyfriend for referring to the pets as his literal children and finally voiced her opinion.
She told him that, yes, it is okay to care about the animals. She also admitted that his failed relationships had absolutely nothing to do with his love of the pets.
“But this is too much. I would feel weird if an ex called my pets his children after the breakup,” she reasoned.
She realizes that, in other situations, it might be okay. For instance, she has a friend going through a divorce right now who has been taking custody turns with their ex-husband. Apparently, her friend and their ex adopted a dog together and had been married for nine years.
So, in her mind, that is completely different, and the circumstances of her boyfriend’s past relationships simply don’t call for it.
Still, ever since admitting her perspective to her boyfriend, she’s been left wondering whether telling him that his exes’ pets were not his children was too insensitive.
Would you ever refer to your ex’s pets as your children, especially so long after the breakup? Do you find her boyfriend’s habit strange? Should she feel bad about bringing it up or not?
You can read the original post on Reddit here.
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