When a father refused to alternate custody with his stepdaughter because it meant sending his biological daughter away every other week, his family — and Reddit — exploded in debate.
The Backstory and Early Dynamics
A man and his wife are going through a divorce. Together, they share a 15-year-old daughter, and the wife has a 16-year-old daughter from a previous relationship — the man’s stepdaughter.
While both girls are close in age, their relationship is complicated. During the marriage, they lived as a blended family, but now that divorce proceedings have begun, the girls have different wishes about where they want to stay.
The Moment Things Shifted
When it came time to decide custody, both teens were given a choice.
The stepdaughter wanted a 50/50 custody arrangement — but only if she didn’t have to stay with her stepdad when his biological daughter was also there.
That meant one simple but painful truth: for the man to agree, he’d have to send his own daughter away every other week just to accommodate his stepdaughter’s comfort.
The Final Confrontation
The father refused. He told his soon-to-be ex-wife that he wouldn’t “kick out” his daughter to make the arrangement work.
His wife accused him of being selfish and not caring enough about his stepdaughter’s feelings. But from his point of view, his loyalty to his own child came first — and he wasn’t about to make her feel unwanted in her own home.
The Fallout
Now, tensions are higher than ever.
His wife is furious, calling him “an a**hole” for rejecting a compromise. His stepdaughter feels rejected, too. And his biological daughter — who just wants stability — is caught in the middle of adult drama she didn’t ask for.
The father feels torn but stands by his decision, insisting that he’s simply protecting his daughter’s sense of home and belonging.
What Reddit Thinks
The post quickly drew thousands of comments — and most sided with the dad.
Top-voted reactions:
“NTA. You can’t ask a father to send his daughter away every other week. That’s cruel.”
“Sounds like the stepdaughter is trying to control the situation. She’s old enough to make her own choices, but she doesn’t get to dictate who lives where.”
“This is a tough family dynamic, but you made the right call. You can’t sacrifice one child’s emotional safety to please another.”
A few, though, thought he could’ve handled it more gently:
“You’re not wrong legally, but maybe talk to your stepdaughter — she’s a kid going through a divorce, too.”
A Final Thought
When families split, love often gets tangled with loyalty.
Was this dad protecting his daughter — or drawing a line that deepened the divide between two already hurting teens?