A man who raised his younger brother as his son has shared how his relatives have been bugging him to tell his sibling the truth.
Sharing his post on Reddit, the man explained that he was 23 and was living with his girlfriend, 21, when his parents, both 42, got divorced.
At that time, his parents just welcomed his brother, Josh, and both refused to take care of their newborn.
“So I became legal guardian of my brother and he’s been living with us for the past 12 years and things have been going really smooth for us,” he wrote.
Josh, now 13, has been calling his big brother ‘dad’ and his now-wife ‘mom.’ He has no idea that his grandparents are actually his real parents.
“Some of my uncles and aunts come to visit occasionally and they are really disgusted at the fact he calls me “dad” and they are surprised I haven’t told him the truth,” he went on.
When he asked his wife about it, she said it would be wrong to tell his younger brother the truth as their parents didn’t want to take care of him.
“I feel that he has the right to know what he is to me and what I truly am to him, but he’s suffered enough already and I just want things to continue how it is,” he added.
Reddit users were quick to share their thoughts on the situation.
One person commented: “I completely get where your uncles are coming from. The little guy deserves to know the truth. But it doesn’t have to be now, and it certainly doesn’t have to be explained as “your parents wanted nothing to do with you”
“When he’s older you can explain some version of “when you were born, our parents were going through a really rough divorce, and neither of them could take care of you. I loved you so much that I wanted to raise you as a son. You have been the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I’m so glad to have you in my life.’”
Another wrote: “You’ve raised him since he was a baby. You are the only paternal (and your wife, maternal) figure he has known. But I think you’ll shock him, if not turn his world upside down.”
A third added: “There is so much to consider in telling or not telling. Ultimately I think the truth is best because at some point he is going to find out anyways. But be ready for a lot of backlash if you tell him. He is going to feel angry and hurt and abandoned by his bio-parents. When it comes right down to it, you ARE his dad, even if you are biologically his brother as well. And good for you for stepping in and being there for him.”
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