Guy Gets Full Custody Of His 6YO Son, His Housemate Asks The Kid To Stop Treating Her Like His Mom

According to recent data, out of over 79 million Americans living in shared households, 14.4 million live with roommates. Sometimes these are close friends, sometimes it becomes the beginning of a beautiful friendship – but often sharing one roof turns into serious conflicts. Simply because people deliberately expect free services and help from their roommates and housemates.

For example, the story we’re going to tell you today was first told in the AITA Reddit community, and its author, while living under the same roof with several housemates, once faced a situation where one of them, it seems, seriously expected her to take care of his 6-year-old son.

More info: Reddit

The author of the post once had to share a house with a couple and a 29YO guy

Woman looking stressed while checking phone outside a door, related to housemate and child situation.

Image credits: G23 / Freepik (not the actual photo)

That man won full custody of his 6YO son one day – and brought the boy to live with him

Text discussing a housemate’s child and rented suite; involves conflict over parenting expectations.

Apartment setup details with shared kitchen and dining area.

Text about neighbors and custody between apartments 1A and 2B.

Text from a note about a housemate's child behaving energetically, with soundproofing mentioned.

Image credits: anonymous

A man and child in hoodies touch foreheads affectionately in a park setting.

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

The kid used to ask the dad’s housemates to give him treats and to play with him – but the author didn’t have enough time and good will for this

Text on a white background says Dean seems polite and well behaved.

Text about a housemate's 6-year-old asking for food in the kitchen.

Text about housemate's 6-year-old asking for mom-like favors, leading to complaints.

Text expressing discomfort on treating housemate's child like mom, mentions food expenses and meal planning.

Text message from housemate about a 6-year-old interrupting work, related to disputes over child-like behavior.

Text excerpt showing lady telling housemate's child she's not his mom, asks him to find dad if needed.

Image credits: anonymous

Woman in blue sweatshirt slicing cucumber, standing in a modern kitchen with various vegetables on the counter.

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

It all ended with the dad complaining to the landlord, but the author explained the true story

Text about Valentine's Day, boyfriend bringing pizza, triggering a confrontation with housemate's child due to mom-like behavior.

Text about a housemate's child getting upset over pizza being taken away.

Text exchange about housemate's child intruding on personal time, involving a conversation about pizza.

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Text discussing a housemate's child, landlord involvement, and a situation leading to being called a snitch.

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Image credits: anonymous

So the boy went to live with his auntie, but his dad held a grudge against the author, calling her a snitch

So, the Original Poster (OP), in her own words, lived in a house that was divided into three parts, with a bedroom, a bathroom and a small living room each. Accordingly, the housemates shared a dining room, a guest bathroom, and a kitchen. Among the author’s neighbors were a couple in their 40s, which we won’t talk about today, and a 29-year-old guy named “Cody.”

It was with Cody that our heroine had a conflict. The thing is that Cody got full custody of his 6-year-old son “Dean” and brought him home to live with him. But, as it turned out, parental rights are just one thing, and taking care of a kid on your own is quite another. So the boy inevitably began to actively seek out dad’s housemates.

When our heroine cooked for herself, he often asked her to feed him, and the OP wasn’t always happy with such requests. The ingredients were quite expensive, so the author told Dean several times to address these pleas to his dad. The same applied to the moments when the boy knocked on her door and said that he was bored. The OP works from home, so she simply asked Dean to knock only in case of emergency.

The situation escalated on Valentine’s Day, when the author’s boyfriend came to see her with pizza, various snacks and flowers. Dean immediately ran up to them and asked them to treat him to pizza and watch TV together with them. When he was politely but firmly sent home, the boy, of course, was incredibly upset and even cried.

Apparently, Dean’s dad complained to the landlord, because later he called the author, and she told him everything as it happened. So Dean was then taken away by his auntie, Cody got completely offended, calling the OP a snitch and nothing else, and our heroine simply decided to ask the netizens how well she handled the described situation and what they themselves would’ve done if they were in her place.

Child in light room, sitting with knees up, related to housemate mom topic.

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

“Of course, the child is not to blame for anything here – the boy simply saw in the woman living under the same roof a figure close to his mother. As for the violation of personal boundaries, children at this age often do not yet know how to distinguish these boundaries and understand where they shouldn’t be crossed,” says Irina Matveeva, a psychologist and certified NLP specialist, whom Bored Panda asked for a comment.

“Most likely, the father simply thought that the housemate – especially one working from home – could be a free babysitter for his son. And, naturally, he didn’t even ask her opinion. In any case, complaining to the landlord about her behavior was completely beyond the bounds of common sense. And, it seems, the landlord felt the same way.”

“Of course, I feel most sorry for the boy in this story, who, apparently, has already had to go through a series of traumatic events – and now faces father’s neglect. I still hope that at least the aunt will pay more attention to the child. Although, it’s not entirely clear on what terms they agreed on this with his dad. But that is a completely different story,” Irina sums up.

Most people in the comments also sided with the OP and, agreeing that the child in this story is pitiable, couldn’t help but note that the author didn’t hire herself to be the housemate’s babysitter. The responders also seriously criticized the hapless dad, trying at the same time to understand what accusations he addressed to the landlord against the OP. So do you, our dear readers, also agree with this interpretation of events?

Commenters unanimously backed the author, claiming that she did everything right in this situation

Comment addresses housemate child care issue, advises boundary setting.

Text discussing boundaries and childcare in communal living, praising decision not to care for housemate's child.

Text conversation about housemate's child responsibility, discussing landlord and supervision issues.

Comment discussing housemate's responsibility for child care, with a user supporting complaint to landlord.

Text discussing issues of housemate's child treating another as a mom, and conflict over landlord involvement.

Online comment on housemate's child care issue, mentioning landlord's intervention.

Text comment discussing housemate's 6-year-old treating woman like mom and being called a snitch for telling landlord.

Reddit comment on housemate issues with child, discussing tenancy and responsibility.

Text discussing a woman being treated like a mom by a housemate's child and being called a snitch after complaining.

Text conversation about housemate's child, discussing boundaries and being called a snitch for involving landlord.

Comment questioning how a complaint was worded in a housemate situation.

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