Dad Lets Son Stay Up Until 1 AM, Strict Ex-Wife Accuses Him Of Sabotaging Their Relationship By Being Fun Parent
The pizza and gaming night that turned into a coparenting battle
A divorced father (OP) recently posted about a coparenting conflict that erupted after he rewarded his 13-year-old son for academic success.
OP and his ex-wife divorced a few years back and split custody evenly, alternating weeks with their son.
They coparent efficiently but have very different parenting styles. She’s structured and hands-on: video games only on Fridays for an hour or two maximum, strict 9 PM bedtime every night, home-cooked meals only, with no fast food allowed.
OP is more relaxed: 9 PM bedtime on school nights, 11 PM bedtime on Fridays, video games allowed as long as homework is done and grades stay up.
During OP’s week, he noticed that his son was studying harder than usual for three tests coming up on Friday: algebra, English, and history.
When Friday arrived, his son came home thrilled. He’d aced all three tests.
OP was proud and decided to reward him. Apparently, his son had been asking to play games together, so they settled on Diablo 3, ordered pizza, and played from 8 PM until 1 AM.
They joked around, ate, and had a great time. However, OP made sure to explain that this was only because of the perfect test scores.
The next day, when OP’s ex-wife came around to pick the teen up, he excitedly told his mom what happened.
OP’s ex-wife blew up at him in private, accusing him of ruining their son’s diet, sleep schedule, and their relationship.
She claimed he’d prefer his dad from now on because of stunts like this. But OP argued that it was a one-time reward for exceptional achievement and that their son deserves to have fun being a kid sometimes.
At the moment, OP has been left wondering if his actions are as bad as his ex-wife is portraying them.
Check out the full story below.
Let’s dig into the details
Reddit.comOP explained that he and his ex-wife co-parent their son differently. While he is more lax, his ex-wife is more of the strict parent
Reddit.comOP’s son passed a recent test, and he rewarded him by letting him play video games late into the night with some pizza
Reddit.comOn hearing what happened, OP’s ex-wife got upset and lashed out
Reddit.comOP wants to know if what he did was wrong
Reddit.comWe gathered some reactions from the Reddit community
Reddit.com“This is your ex being an overly-controlling, overly-strict, no-fun parent.”
Reddit.com“She needs to chill a bit and you need to be a little less chill.”
Reddit.com“NTA. A strict 9pm bedtime for a 13 year old is absurd.”
Reddit.com“NTA One late fun night isn’t going to ruin his schedule or anything else.”
Reddit.com
“Sounds like your ex has a touch of orthorexia. Continue to stand up for your kid getting to be a kid.”
Reddit.com
This Netizen decided to share their personal experience
Reddit.com
“It's not about your son's wellbeing then. It's about her insecurity as a parent.”
Reddit.com
This highlights the tension that exists when coparents have fundamentally different approaches and one makes an exception that contradicts the other’s rules.
OP saw it as a one-time reward for exceptional academic performance. But unfortunately for him, his ex-wife didn’t share his sentiments.
Whether OP’s actions will have negative effects on their son is yet to be seen, but we do hope they can both come to a compromise.
What’s your take on this story? Let us know in the comments.
