AITA For Not Telling My Fiancé That I Am A Father Until I Knew For Sure?

One day, a 30-year-old man, happily engaged and planning a future with his fiancée, gets a bombshell message from his ex: he might have a five-year-old son. Caught off guard, he decides to keep this bombshell under wraps until he’s sure it’s true, sparking a heated debate on social media about trust and honesty in relationships.

His choice to shield his fiancée from the news until a DNA test confirms the truth leaves her hurt and blindsided. Was he wrong to keep her in the dark, even with good intentions? The story dives into the messy balance between protecting a loved one and being fully transparent, with social media weighing in on where he went wrong.

‘AITA For Not Telling My Fiancé That I Am A Father Until I Knew For Sure?’

The story kicks off with how this guy handles a curveball from his past.

I (30m) am in an unforeseen situation and feel like the people I know in feel life are too close to the situation to give a less biased perspective and...

First off, I am the type of person who doesn't like troubling other with potentially negative and/or life changing news until I have all the facts and, preferably, get all...

Six years ago I found out that my then girlfriend was cheating on me. The lease on our apartment was up for renewal and I had gotten a job offer...

Told asked my family to block her, which they readily did, and then blocked any mutual friends who encouraged me to reach out to her. Send a message to the...

Things get complicated when his past comes knocking out of nowhere.

I was upset for a while but did move on and I am now engaged to my girlfriend of three years. Life was going great for me until out of...

Obviously, I called B.S. and blocked her but she managed to get a hold of my sister and she convinced me that I DNA test would be best. I unblocked...

His decision to keep quiet stirs up some serious tension.

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I told my fiancé that I needed to go out of town to handle unexpected family issue and that my sister would be coming with me. Since my sister was...

She was shocked and hurt that I kept this from her. However, I explained that I didn't want her to worry for nothing if the kid wasn't mine and that...

Although sekarang that everyone is starting to find out that I have a son some of them are saying I'm TA for not telling my fiancé sooner. I honestly thought...

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He jumps back in to clear up some misunderstandings.

ETA: Because I keep seeing this. I ghosted my cheating ex because I didn't want to hear her excuses or see her cry. I didn't want to give her anymore...

Between my ex contacting my sister and me telling my fiancé it was about 9 days. The only reason my sister went with me was because she already knew and...

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When I entered a relationship with my fiancé I wasn't aware that I was a father so I didn't "lie" when I was with her. I don't know why people...

Hiding a potential child from a fiancée, even with good intentions, can fracture the trust that holds a relationship together.

The core issue here is his lack of openness with his fiancée, who should have been his closest confidante. While he thought he was sparing her stress, his choice to handle this alone signals a lack of faith in her ability to cope. Renowned psychologist John Gottman emphasizes, “Honesty and openness are the bedrock of a lasting relationship” (The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work). By keeping her in the dark, he inadvertently prioritized his own comfort over their partnership.

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Social media users point out that marriage thrives on facing challenges together, good or bad. His solo approach left his fiancée feeling excluded, which could erode their bond. Beyond that, his pattern of avoiding confrontation—ghosting his ex without discussion—hints at a deeper issue with handling tough emotions, which might resurface in future conflicts.

Advice for Moving Forward:

  1. Open Up Early: Share big issues with your fiancée right away, even if the outcome is uncertain, to build trust.
  2. Consider Couples Counseling: A professional can help navigate emotions and rebuild confidence in each other.
  3. Plan Together: Discuss how you’ll both handle this new responsibility, including co-parenting, so she feels valued and included.

Let’s dive into the reactions from Reddit:

Social media lit up with opinions, ranging from sharp criticism to thoughtful takes on this tricky situation.

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These commenters didn’t hold back, arguing that keeping such a big secret is a betrayal of trust in any serious relationship.

the-mirrors-truth − YTA She's your finance, someone you plan to grow old with and share your life with. Sharing potentially negative and/or life changing news is what you sign up...

KaalaMizhu − YTA. You didn't just keep her in the dark, you lied to her by omission. She's supposed to be your partner, and if you can't be open and...

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All it would have taken was, "My ex contacted me out of the blue with this information. I'm getting a paternity test to verify." Learn how to actually trust your...

Don't tie someone to you if you can't be honest with them. She has every right to be hurt and upset that you basically let her know you can't trust...

InaneObservations − YTA. You continued your relationship under false and self-serving pretenses. Now your fiancée has to deal with all of this at once, instead of being able to adjust...

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She should dump you for lying and demonstrating low character. You weren't trying to protect her, you were trying to protect yourself from her judgement and decision.

Some users took a more analytical approach, pointing out how his actions affect both his relationship and his new role as a father.

giantbrownguy − YTA, but there's another issue here. You need to consider that you're communicating to your fiancée that you'll only talk to her about important things when you think...

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You're unilaterally deciding when she has to be involved, and not giving her an opportunity to make conscious decisions. A marriage (assuming that you want to get married) is built...

You're taking the opportunity for her to support you away from her. you're also subtly communicating that she can't count on your support when she has bad things happen, because...

CityBride − YTA your communication style sucks in general. Your ex cheated on you, so you just blocked her, had everyone else block her and actually created new profiles rather...

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Thank god for your sister so that poor little kid could at least get child support. You don’t talk to your fiancé about possibly being a father and taking a...

These comments focus on the emotional toll on his fiancée and the new responsibilities of fatherhood.

AlarmedBechamel − Agree however, just a YTA from me. This situation definitely falls under the "better or for worst". OP support should have been their fiancee and not their sister.

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The fiancee might be wondering why OP leaned on their sister for support rather than her. She might also be concerned that OP hid a possibly (and has become) a...

00Lisa00 − YTA yeah you shouldn’t have lied. You should have trusted her and confided in her, that’s part of being in a relationship.

electricstaplerchan − YTA You weren't supposed to come with the baggage of a kid OP. Life as a step parent means often being iced out and not included even when...

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And having to do it with a smile on your face because "the children." It means even if you love the kid and the relationship ends you have no legal...

It means not being included. And you have now set the precedent of your partner not "being included" in decisions that regard your kid. But then again maybe thats a...

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And needs to be made clear so she can decide if its a deal-breaker or not. I feel for for you OP. Plenty of single parent date but your spouse...

Most people get to decide if they want to bother in the first place. I hope you can work this out but you really need to learn to frame things...

doggomother − YTA You say you didn't want to worry her in case the situation was a farce, but really you are afraid of dealing with other people's reactions/emotions.

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You're only letting yourself be mentally prepared, and you'll spring s**t on other people expecting them to react "appropriately". You kept what you were doing from her. How is she...

Now instead of allowing her to have time to sit on the fact that you might have a child with your ex, you just sprung it on her that you...

You are also in the mindset that your fiancée will stick with you through this, but she has a choice to leave... and you didn't account for that. You only...

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Short but Sharp

No-Chemist2719 − YTA. Don't lie. It's pretty simple, especially about something so serious. You broke trust.This quick jab cuts to the chase: honesty is non-negotiable in matters this serious.

The social media crowd largely agrees that openness and trust are non-negotiable in a committed relationship, especially when life-altering news like a child comes into play.

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This story shows that honesty, even when it’s tough, is the glue that holds relationships together. Keeping secrets, even with the best intentions, can hurt the ones we love most. It’s all about learning to lean on each other, no matter the challenge. What do you think of his decision to keep the secret? If you were his fiancée, how would you react? Share your thoughts below!

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