Son Finds Out His Dad Is Cheating On His Mom – Wonders If He Should Ruin the Family by Telling Her
A son discovered his father cheated on his mother after 27 years of marriage. Now he's stuck between breaking the news to either his mother or father and risking tearing his family apart. He has turned to Reddit to figure out a way to free himself from this long-kept secret.
A son held on to a secret that could break up his family and took it to Reddit to express how conflicted he was about handling the situation.
His parents have been married for 27 years, and all his life, the son has only seen his father take good care of his mother and be a great father to him and his brother.
A family photographed smiling | Source: Shutterstock
But one day, he accidentally found a conversation between a woman and his father on Facebook and realized he was having an affair with her. Seeing his father in that light was shocking, but he tried to suppress the memory when he went away to college.
He finished his undergraduate degree and went to graduate school. After almost a year of not being home, he realized that his father was still acting suspiciously.
The Facebook logo | Source: Shutterstock
He asked to use his father's phone and saw him switch off his data to avoid his son seeing any notifications. As a 24-year-old man, he knew that meant he was keeping a secret.
What Happens If He Tells His Mother about the Affair?
The son has found himself between a rock and a hard place. He adored his father and appreciated everything he had given him in life. He also knew that his mother was independent and could care for herself.
However, telling her about his father's affair would break her and eventually lead to divorce, which the 24-year-old did not want to feel responsible for.
Two wedding rings and judge's gavel | Source: Shutterstock
This experience taught him that someone could be a great father and an unfaithful husband, but no matter what angle he looked at the situation, it ended up with his family torn apart.
The son expressed that he and his father still shared a close relationship, which is why going to his mother with the information without first speaking to him would feel like a betrayal.
Additionally, the situation would affect not only him but his brother, who had just been admitted into medical school and had no idea that his father had an affair.
A man smiling at phone | Source: Shutterstock
Turning to his friends also did not sit well with the son as he did not want them to lose their respect for him. So he has found himself having to stew in all of these thoughts, which have also been taking an emotional toll on him.
But the son knew he had to figure out a way out of this dilemma. He said, "At the end of the day, I know it’s on me to make the choice I think would possibly be the right one."
What Advice Did the Son Get?
Firstly, the commenters wanted the son to know that however things end up in his family, it would not be his fault. His father had an affair, so he would have to take the fall for his actions.
A message in a bottle | Source: Shutterstock
In the same instance, one commenter advised him to take the information to his mother and stop carrying the emotional burden of his father's lies. However, one person believed the mother might already know about the affair if the evidence existed.
However, Reddit users also thought it was important for him to have an adult conversation with his father and understand that not every couple is perfect. While others felt like he was putting his father before his mother.
A family photographed smiling | Source: Shutterstock
In either situation, netizens want the son to speak up about the secret he has held on to for six years and free himself before the emotional turmoil worsens.
Here is a story about a man who had an affair with a homeless woman and later found out she was pregnant.