Some divorces end with clearly drawn lines, and for him, that line has always been: he has one child, and that’s where his money, time, and attention go.
His ex-wife doesn’t see it that way, and she’s long pushed for him to extend the same generosity he shows their son to her two younger kids from another man, but he’s never budged.
When their son turned 16, he went big with the birthday gift. For him, it was a once-in-a-lifetime milestone and well within his means.
For his ex, it was proof of everything she’s resented; that her other kids don’t get the same treatment. Now she’s angry and insisting he should have spent that money on all three children. To him, it’s simple; they aren’t his kids. To her, it’s proof he’s heartless.
This 47-year-old man has a 16-year-old son with his 44-year-old ex-wife, Anna. He and Anna get along just fine, but their marriage fell apart because he was more invested in his career than her, and Anna is the kind of girl who believes in following your heart, wherever it may lead.
She’s also super irresponsible when it comes to money, which proved to be a fundamental difference between them.
He and Anna got divorced when Anna was still pregnant with their son. Later on, Anna had two more kids, a 15-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, with another man.
“Anna always complains that I have money to spend on our son, but I never spend anything on his siblings when their dad (her husband) gets my son things,” he explained.
“While that’s nice of him, I’m not interested in the whole blended family thing. I have one child, and that’s it. So I don’t buy them birthday or Christmas gifts, take them on vacation, or anything like that, but of course I get my son those things.”
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“And there’s always a fight when I take our son out of school to travel, she thinks it’s unfair to his siblings and I’m making him fall behind, but I think that’s honestly not the reason; she’s just in denial…”
Last week, his son celebrated his 16th birthday, and he bought him the luxury car of his dreams as a gift. He reasoned that the car didn’t cost that much more than any other brand-new car, given inflation, so he doesn’t think his son driving a super nice car means he’s a spoiled brat.
Also, he’s well-off, and he only has one child, so he wants his kid to have everything he dreams of.
Well, Anna was not happy when she found out about the car. Anna was furious with him, as she pointed out that he could have spent that money on her kids, too.
He could have purchased cars for her children or given her the cash to invest in their future. But he’s left wondering why on earth he should fund Anna’s kids, who are not his.
“She said I was heartless, but that’s just how I really feel. I don’t want to be anything to them. Right now, I have the car because she won’t let him keep it at her house, which just feels petty,” he continued.
What do you think?
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By Bre Avery Zacharski
Hi, I'm Bre, Chip Chick's CEO! I have a degree in Textile/Surface Design from The Fashion Institute of Technology, and... More about Bre Avery Zacharski
