“Am I The [Jerk] For Refusing To Pick Up My 4-Year-Old From My Ex?”

I find it very inspiring how mothers can turn into dragon-slayers if it means protecting their kids. What I am trying to say is that they can go to any lengths just to ensure that their children are safe, even if that means fighting with an ex!

Just look at this mom who refused to drive drunk so she could pick up her little one from her ex’s house. His girlfriend went into labor, and instead of dropping off the kid himself, he wasted more than 30 minutes arguing with her. Read on to find out what really happened.

More info: Reddit

Mothers always prioritize the safety of their kids over everything else, even if that means fighting with an ex

Pregnant woman in labor holding hands with support person, highlighting ex arguing while girlfriend is in labor.

Image credits: pch.vector / Freepik (not the actual photo)

When the poster’s 4-year-old kid was with her ex, she got a call at 12 AM to pick him up as his girlfriend had gone into labor

Text conversation about refusing to drive drunk to pick up 4-year-old as ex argues while girlfriend is in labor.

Text saying a mom has a 4 year old with her ex, whose girlfriend is expecting a baby soon.

Mom refuses to drive drunk to pick up 4YO while ex argues for 30 minutes during girlfriend's labor.

Image credits: Low-Salamander-5399

Young woman in a burgundy dress sitting on kitchen floor drinking wine and looking at her phone, illustrating mom refuses to drive drunk.

Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)

However, she was drunk, so she requested he drop the kid off as it was just a 5-minute drive, but he started arguing with her

Text excerpt explaining a mom refusing to drive drunk to pick up her child while ex argues amid girlfriend's labor.

Text excerpt about a mom refusing to drive drunk to pick up her child amid an argument with her ex during his girlfriend’s labor.

Text excerpt about mom refusing to drive drunk to pick up 4-year-old, causing argument with ex while his girlfriend is in labor.

Image credits: Low-Salamander-5399

Man helping young child with seatbelt in car, highlighting mom refusing to drive drunk to pick up 4YO for safety.

Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / Freepik (not the actual photo)

She told him she couldn’t put their kid at risk, and refused to budge, so he finally dropped him off

Text on a white background reads a mom describing a heated argument over refusal to drive drunk to pick up their 4-year-old child.

Text excerpt discussing a mom refusing to drive drunk to pick up her child while ex argues and his girlfriend is in labor.

Text image reading So AITA for refusing to pick up my son, discussing a mom refusing to drive drunk to pick up 4YO amid ex arguing.

Image credits: Low-Salamander-5399

Even at her door, instead of worrying about his girlfriend who was in labor, he threw a huge fit, saying that the poster didn’t listen to him

In today’s story, the original poster (OP) tells us how she got caught in a conflict with her stubborn ex. They have a 4-year-old son together, and the kid was with him one Saturday when this frustrating incident took place. She got a call from him at 12 AM, and he asked her to pick up their child immediately because his girlfriend was in labor.  

The thing is, she had had a few drinks, and while she could look after the kid, OP was in no condition to drive to his house. She told him so and asked him to drop off their son, as her home was just a 5-minute drive away. Now, any concerned person would agree, right? Not her ex, though, because he called her irresponsible for drinking when his girlfriend’s delivery date was so close.

He had never even informed her that she should be available during his parenting time if his partner went into labor, so it was really unfair of him to make this demand. However, the man just refused to budge and even started yelling at her to come right at that moment and get the child. Well, she informed him that she was not going to do that, and that he could drop their son off if he wanted to.

After she cut the call, he showed up at her door and started screaming his head off in front of the kid. She shut the door, but couldn’t help feeling bad for his girlfriend because the argument lasted for 30 minutes, while he could’ve dealt with it in 5 minutes. Moreover, she was also quite shocked by his careless behavior when it came to their son’s safety, so she vented online.

Mom and ex arguing outdoors with tense expressions, highlighting conflict over driving drunk to pick up 4-year-old child.

Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)

People online were equally stumped. Data suggests that 34 people in the United States pass away in drunk-driving crashes, which is one person every 42 minutes. Well, the poster’s concern was definitely understandable, but folks couldn’t figure out why he acted so stubbornly and lashed out at her. She replied that it was because he “couldn’t control her”.

Experts have observed that controlling behavior and empathy can have a complex relationship. They also explain that such individuals might not express it due to their focus on maintaining their dominance. This probably explains why the poster’s ex acted so insensitively when it came to their son’s safety, and just refused to see reason.

Besides, from the way he kept yelling at her, it sounded like it wasn’t the first time it had happened. In fact, he even did it in front of the child, and we all know how bad that is. Even research shows that this can lead to disrupted early brain development, sleep disturbance, anxiety, depression, conduct disorder, and other serious problems if such arguments keep persisting.

Another concern that the poster raised was how he’d kept his poor girlfriend waiting for so long. Going into labor is painful, and if it’s the first time for the woman, it can be scary as well. Just imagine that happening to her while he was busy yelling at his ex. I really hope he doesn’t make things difficult for her anymore. What about you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Netizens were shocked by how casually he was willing to put their kid at risk by asking her to drive drunk, and called him a bad father

Screenshot of an online discussion where a user worries about a child in a car with a buzzed or drunk driver, highlighting parenting safety concerns.

Online discussion showing a mom refusing to drive drunk to pick up her child while ex argues about it for 30 minutes.

Reddit user discusses mom refusing to drive drunk to pick up 4YO amid ex arguing and girlfriend in labor.

Screenshot of an online discussion about a mom refusing to drive drunk and an ex arguing during his girlfriend’s labor.

Screenshot of a Reddit conversation about a mom refusing to drive drunk to pick up her child while an argument ensues.

Screenshot of a social media comment criticizing a father's decision to drive intoxicated, highlighting concerns about parenting and custody.

Screenshot of a Reddit comment discussing a mom refusing to drive drunk to pick up her 4-year-old while ex argues during labor.

Screenshot of a forum comment discussing a mom refusing to drive drunk to pick up her 4YO child for safety reasons.

Comment discussing mom refusing to drive drunk to pick up 4YO, ex arguing for 30 minutes while his girlfriend is in labor.

Screenshot of a social media comment discussing a mom refusing to drive drunk while her ex argues amid girlfriend's labor.

Comment discussing the mom refusing to drive drunk to pick up her child while the ex argues over the situation.

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