His Parents Abandoned Him, So After They Reached Out To Apologize, He Told Them To Never To Contact Him Again

Oleksii - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
Oleksii - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only, not the actual person

I’ve always felt extreme sympathy for people who feel they were abandoned by their parents as children, whether it was physically, emotionally, or both.

One man recently denied his estranged parents the opportunity to get to know him after a rough childhood where they sent him to live with his grandparents when he was 13. 

He’s 29 and had a complicated childhood. His parents divorced when he was seven years old, and he initially lived with his mom and spent weekends with his dad.

However, two years later, his routine was already uprooted when his mom decided to move in with her boyfriend and sent him to live with his dad.

“At first, it was fine because my mom would regularly meet with me, but over time, those visits became less [frequent],” he said.

“When I was 12, my dad introduced me to his girlfriend, who I could tell didn’t like me. I didn’t understand why. By then, I was only seeing my mom once every three months or so. My dad told me to get used to his girlfriend, but we never really got along. A year later, my dad told me I would be living with my grandmother from now on because his girlfriend was pregnant and wanted a ‘calm house.’ I was angry and caused a scene.”

When he found out he’d have to live with his grandmother, he told his mom he didn’t want to go and asked if he could live with her. She told him no, as she’d be doing some traveling with her boyfriend, so he was stuck at his grandmother’s.

Thankfully, his grandmother came through and was very supportive during his teenage years.

“My grandmother had to go back to work to support me,” he explained.

Oleksii – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person

“I had no idea that my dad had married his girlfriend and had two other kids or that my mom had gotten married and had twins until my grandmother told me. I started to resent both of them, but my sweet grandmother kept me grounded. She provided for me, ensured I graduated, and helped me get into a good college.”

His parents visited for milestone events like birthdays and would send him essentials, but that only lasted a few years.

When he turned 18, he wanted to honor his grandmother by changing his last name to her maiden name, and ever since he did that, he has heard even less from his parents.

At 29, he graduated college, got a great job, got engaged, and has been living a fairly happy life. When his grandmother passed away four years ago, he couldn’t even get in touch with his dad to make arrangements, and he was the only family member at her funeral service.

However, everything changed when, recently, he got an email from both of his estranged parents.

“My dad said he wants to apologize and attend my wedding, and his kids want to meet their big brother,” he recalled.

“He also mentioned that my mom wanted to meet me and apologize. He even had the audacity to write that he was disappointed in me changing my last name but ‘understood [why].’ I’ve already moved on without them, and [I’ve] multiple milestones in my life and career without their support, so I replied, stating I don’t know him or my mom, added a few other harsh words, and told them never to contact me again.”

When he mentioned this email and his response to his fiancée, who is a very family-oriented person, she was disappointed in him. His fiancée believes that family is family and his parents deserve a second chance, which has made him feel cruddy.

Do you think he should give his parents a second chance to get to know him or leave things the way they are?

You can read the original post on Reddit here.

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