‘I asked her why she thinks either of us wants to know the family he chose to be with’: 17 and 19-year-old siblings refuse their absent father’s new wife's attempt to force them to “be a family”

Absent dad tries a comeback as Family Man with a hype squad wife, pitching togetherness like a rewards program and hinting that hugs might speed up his tab. It's all rebrand now, pay later, like a clearance sale on accountability.

Here's the plain version. Time missed is a bill that piles up, and the payment is boring consistency, not cute speeches. Biology starts the story, it doesn't earn the title; parent is a job you clock into daily, not a photo op in November. Boundaries aren't mean, they're seat belts, especially when someone keeps showing up uninvited with terms and conditions. One invite can be kind, repeated pop‑ups in public are pressure, and pressure just hardens a no. Love isn't leverage and child support isn't a coupon, mixing them is how trust goes up in smoke twice.

AITA for rejecting my father's wife's attempt to bring me and my sister into their family?

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If there’s a path at all, it’s slow and quiet. Pay what’s owed without making it a performance, apologize without strings, and accept that forgiveness has no schedule and might never happen. Until then, no is a full sentence, and peace beats a forced family rollout every single time.