Daughter Shuts Door on ‘No Effort’ Father, Haunted by Past

A woman on Reddit has shared the surprising reason that she will not help out her father in his time of need.

"I (29F) grew up in a household where my mom was both mom and dad. My father left us when I was 10 after cheating on my mom multiple times and eventually moving in with another woman. He never paid child support or helped financially, leaving my mom to work two jobs to make ends meet. We struggled a lot—sometimes we didn’t even know if we’d have food on the table," she began.

The woman shared that her father made little effort when it came to having a relationship with her.

"For years, my father made no effort to be part of my or my siblings’ lives. He didn’t call, visit, or even send a card for birthdays or holidays. It was like we didn’t exist to him. As I got older, I built a life without him and stopped expecting anything," she said.

Now, the woman has revealed that her father is sick and her brother suggested that she let their father live with her.

"Recently, I got a call from my older brother (33M), who told me that our dad is now broke, sick, and living in poor conditions after his second wife left him. He’s asking one of us to take him in and care for him. My brother declined because he has a family of his own and can’t take on that responsibility. He suggested I might help since I don’t have kids yet," she shared.

The woman declined the offer and it has led to family issues.

"When I said no, my dad called me directly for the first time in years. He said I was being ungrateful and heartless, claiming he’s 'still my father' and deserves compassion. He also tried to guilt me by saying he regrets his mistakes and just wants a chance to reconnect. I told him he made his choices years ago and can’t expect me to step in now. He called me selfish and accused me of holding onto the past. Some family members agree with him, saying it’s my duty to help him because 'blood is blood.' But I can’t bring myself to forgive someone who left us to suffer when we needed him the most," she concluded.

Users in the comments section of the post sounded off, with people siding with the daughter.

"Estranged is estranged. NTA. He'll have to cope as best he can. It's not your problem. From the sounds of it, a whole lot of other folk also want nothing to do with him. He has burned bridges all over," one person said.

"Blood is blood doesn’t mean you owe him anything he made his choices and how he’s facing the consequences of them," another shared.

"My Dad paid child support and I wouldn't take him in! I'm sorry your family is guilt tripping you. You owe this man nothing. You're not family you're just 2 humans who happen to share DNA," someone else added.

"He stopped being your father when you were 10. You owe him nothing," another chimed in.