AITA For Cutting Off My Dad And His Family Because He Cheated On My Mom And They Badmouthed Her?

A teenage boy’s childhood became the collateral damage of his father’s affair, resulting in him completely cutting off contact with Lauren at the first legal opportunity. Pregnant by the 16-year-old poster, his mother discovered the affair with Lauren; the pair soon cohabited, conceived, and waged a custody battle—including unsuccessful calls from Child Protective Services (CPS).

Complicating the story was the relentless campaign to poison the boy against his mother: mocking her body, breastfeeding choices, gifts, and even saying her “uterus was rotten.” Forced mid-breakup visits, a “his/her” division of the home, and guilt trips for innocent half-siblings cemented the resentment. Psychotherapy and court intervention finally allowed him choices—going straight to his mother’s house, a new school, blocking his phone number.

‘AITA For Cutting Off My Dad And His Family Because He Cheated On My Mom And They Badmouthed Her?’

Betrayal unfolded before the poster was even born, sparking immediate custody aggression.

Alienation tactics targeted the boy from toddlerhood through relentless mom-bashing.

Chaos, rebellion, and eventual legal escape defined the custody years.

Parental alienation through denigration creates lasting relationship rifts, especially when the child witnesses the campaign firsthand. Dr. Amy Baker, family systems therapist and author of “The Adult Children of Parental Alienation Syndrome,” explains that repeated denigration—in this case, body shaming, parenting, and the mother’s “rotten womb”—teaches the child to devalue the targeted parent while elevating the alienating parent.

The father’s unrepentant attitude (“I’ll do it again”) affirms his lack of remorse, reinforcing the child’s boundaries. “Alienated children often reject the entire new family to protect their loyalty to the violated parent,” Baker noted in her 2007 study (source: American Psychological Association).

Counterviews assert that half-siblings deserve connection, but forcing a relationship ignores the trauma experienced by the poster; innocence is not required for a relationship. Socially, families born into adultery often use young children as scapegoats, ignoring how early smear tactics destroy sibling relationships before they even form.

Here’s the input from the Reddit crowd:

Users affirmed the no-contact choice, condemning the adults’ toxic behavior.

Practical scripts and gray-rock strategies rounded out supportive advice.

Petty revenge ideas added levity without malice.

Therapy-guided maturity won the teen full residency with his loyal mother and zero obligation to the affair family. Minimal court-required texts satisfy legality while emotional walls stay high.

At what age should kids learn affair details—early like here, or never? Would you ever meet a half-sibling solo if they reached out as adults?