He Doesn’t Want To Invite His Ex-Wife To His Daughter’s Birthday Party Because He’s Worried About Stirring Up Old Issues Or Making The Celebration Awkward
This 33-year-old man and his ex-wife, Sarah, have been divorced for around three years now. However, they have a 7-year-old daughter named Emily together, so they’ve been forced to maintain an amicable relationship.
Thankfully, he and his ex have managed to do “pretty well” when it comes to co-parenting.
“But things have been a bit strained lately,” he explained.
That’s because his daughter’s birthday is quickly approaching, and he’s in the midst of planning a nice party for her. He has already found a venue and hired some entertainment for the event.
“And I am really excited to make it special for her,” he added.
The only problem? While trying to put together the guest list, he started feeling conflicted about whether he should invite his ex-wife, Sarah, or not.
Despite the fact that they’ve been able to keep a civil relationship for Emily’s sake, their breakup was really tough on him. And even though their interactions following their divorce have been “decent,” he still doesn’t believe they have the greatest rapport.
“I feel like including her might stir up old issues or make things awkward, especially with the current tension between us,” he admitted.
Now, he has a new girlfriend, and he has decided to confide in her about the situation. She actually agreed with him and thought it’d be best not to invite Sarah. That way, any possible drama could be avoided.
Africa Studio – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual people
His family has backed him on this, too, and claimed that the birthday party should be about Emily – not his or Sarah’s past.
Regardless, he’s worried about what his daughter will think and if she’ll be upset that her mom isn’t present.
“I want to make sure the day is perfect for her, and I’m torn between wanting to avoid conflict and making sure Emily has both her parents there,” he vented.
He has not yet made his final decision, as he genuinely doesn’t know what to do.
Some of his friends have since urged him to invite his ex-wife to mitigate any potential resentment; meanwhile, others said not inviting Sarah would keep the day as uncomplicated as possible.
All of the differing opinions have left him wondering whether declining to extend an invitation to his ex-wife would make him a jerk or not.
Do you think his daughter’s feelings are most important, given it’s her birthday party? Should he talk to her before excluding her mother from the celebration?
You can read the original post on Reddit here.
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