Man Refuses To Enforce His Ex-Wife's Reading Rules On His Teenage Son, Gets Faulted For Being So Lax With Rules

"It’s my house and I make the rules, not her."

Maryjane

• Published in Interesting
• May 26, 2023

Whether you're in support or not, rules must be made! Creating and enforcing household rules—and making sure they make sense—is a part of being a parent.

Even though it might seem simpler to just wing it and let things happen, the ensuing pandemonium will keep you up at night. What, then, are the house rules in your home?

What duties, actions, and habits should your children be required to perform? What is prohibited, and what are they not doing in your home?

Do you strictly adhere to the rules? Do you ensure that everyone, including yourself, abides by them?

Well, the OP's ex-wife made a "reading rule" in her home that all her kids must abide by. The OP's son is 15 years old, while her ex-wife has two kids with her now-husband.

The 8-year-old has to read for 30 minutes a day, the 11-year-old has to read for an hour, and the OP's son, Callum, has to read for two hours. The OP had no idea why they did this, and he thinks it’s because the 8-year-old is falling behind in his reading level, and they wanted to keep things “fair” between the kids.

The ex-wife wants the OP to enforce this rule when Callum comes over to his house, but the OP blatantly refuses. Read the entire story for yourself below.

The Title

OP's ex-wife and her new husband cater their parenting style to their two younger kids together

OP thinks that this is ridiculous, as his son is a very smart kid already

Ex-wife told the OP that it’s all his fault that their son doesn’t want to be around her anymore

And the comments from other Redditors roll in

Can't decide for both homes

She is damaging the relationship between them

It's no surprise he wants to stay with the reasonable parent

There are other ways ex-wife could have justified it

Reading is fine but forcing it is totally unacceptable

The boy's mom needs to back off on that rule

The person reading the least needs it the most

This Redditor was going for the AH but changed their minds along the way

That makes absolutely no sense at all

Two hours every other day is just to excessive

This Redditor says that the reading itself isn't terrible

The OP says his rules are less strict than his ex's

This is a rule you do not need to be in lockstep on

It sounds ridiculous

The OP's ex is really a piece of work

Her maths does not math

This Redditor could not have done something like that

It makes no sense to some Redditors that kids will be forced to read as that can even make some dislike reading entirely. At the end of the back and forth, the OP was declared not the AH.

What are your thoughts about this story? Share them with us in the comments section below, and share to your loved ones to get their opinions as well.

Maryjane