Woman Dumping Dad-of-Two Over His Reaction to Her Son Applauded

A woman has been praised for leaving a partner who refused to allow her son to move in with them.

In a viral Reddit post, u/Quirky_Lab_7830 explained that she shares custody of her son, 11, but he mostly lives with her ex-husband. She was slowly moving into her partner's house, who is a dad of two, before making a shocking discovery that changed everything.

The 31-year-old wrote: "It [has] came to light during a conversation that my ex has been abusive to my son."

She anticipated her partner, 36, would support her plan to move her son into his property. However, she felt disappointment when she attempted to explain the circumstances.

"[I] told him the situation and how I might have to get majority custody he had a less than stellar reaction. He seemed less concerned about the incident, more so [about] how I was going to continue working (I start at 5 am most days) and said things like "What about my career" "I knew he might live with us but not this soon" "I didn't consider this" etc.

"I was upset at his reaction. I mean he's happy for me to move in and raise and financially support his kids and look after them but why is my son different?"

Since then, she has made numerous updates to the post that was first published on January 4.

She reiterated that her "top priority" was her son's safety and how the post was about her relationship. She later revealed that "things have officially ended."

She wrote: "He said he considered having my son with us full time but not this sudden and soon. He wanted to get financially set up and be more ready and at the moment he isn't ready. I am so confused as to why he even started a relationship with me in the first place knowing full well this could happen. I guess it's just not happening on his timeline."

Newsweek discussed the post, which has 5,800 upvotes, with family attorney Dina De Giorgio.

Based in New York City, she told Newsweek: "Parents have an affirmative obligation to keep their children safe and to take any steps necessary to do it. This includes preventing the other parent from hurting them. If the writer really believes that her son's father is dangerous and abusive to her child, she needs to act right way."

The break up may be the least of the mother's worries as she could get into trouble if she doesn't act soon, according to Giorgio, a partner with the Schwartz Sladkus Reich Greenberg Atlas, LLP law firm.

She added: "She could ask a court for an order of protection, on the child's behalf, against the father right away, which would put an end to whatever is going on. If the abuse involved any physical harm, she should also file a request to change custody at the same time she ask for the Order of Protection. Planning is reasonable, if the child gets hurt while she makes her "plan" CPS could accuse the mother of neglect because she failed to act quickly when she found out about the abuse."

With 2,400 comments so far, many of them are advising the woman to remain single, the top comment has 4,600 upvotes alone.

It said: "You said it yourself, he's happy for you to move him with him to share the bills and help raise his 2 children, but he's not happy to do the same for you! I can understand your boyfriend's concern to some level about you still needing to work. There are other jobs out there that will be more suitable hours wise. That can all be sorted with time. What you don't have time to do is wait and leave your son with someone who is abusive!

"The quicker you can get him out the better. I'd be worried if you stayed with your boyfriend that he would treat your son poorly as it's clear he doesn't want to support you and him the same way he expects you to do for him. Don't put your son in a position where you remove him from one abuser and move him in with another!"

Another user said: "YWBTA if you let your partner stop you from taking care of your son. Your son is in an abusive situation. Your priority needs to be making sure your son is safe. Everything else is secondary.

"If your partner doesn't care about the wellbeing of your son, and particularly if he is actively trying to get you to leave him in an abusive home, you should break up with him."

Newsweek reached out to u/Quirky_Lab_7830 for comment. We couldn't verify the details of the case.

If you suspect child abuse, call the National Child Abuse Hotline, a free and confidential hotline available 24/7 that can be reached on at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453). The Hotline also provides information on local resources. For more information visit: www.americanspcc.org

If you have a family dilemma, let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.