I Trusted My Ex’s New Partner With Our Son, That Was a Mistake

A man named Vince recently opened up about a deeply unsettling situation involving his family. He and his ex-girlfriend share a young son, who regularly spends time with her and her new boyfriend. For a while, everything seemed to be going smoothly—until his son came home and shared something unexpected about his interactions with the mother's partner. The father found the behavior concerning and felt it crossed a serious line. Hoping to gain some outside perspective, he decided to share his experience and ask others what they thought about the situation.

Vince had a breakup a year ago.

A man named Vince recently reached out with a personal story he hoped others could weigh in on. He's caught in a situation involving his young son and his ex-girlfriend, and while he's deeply upset by what’s happened, he’s also trying to avoid making a situation worse for everyone involved.

In his message, Vince shared, “My ex, Tessa, and I split last year. The breakup itself was unusually civil, most people might actually admire it. We both accepted that our love had run its course, and we have been interacting mainly for the sake of our son, Luke. We realized it was healthier for everyone to move on.”

Vince explained that he and Tessa worked hard to ensure their separation didn’t negatively impact Luke. “We remained equally involved in his life, we made sure that he never felt like he had to choose sides. He’s an incredibly perceptive kid, and while I think he picked up on the fact that things were changing between us, we made it a priority to keep our behavior and attention toward him exactly as it always was.”

Luke adjusted well, Vince noted, the main factor is that their love for him remained the one constant. Still, recent events have shaken Vince’s confidence in how smoothly things have been going, leaving him to question if he needs to speak up, even if it risks stirring tension.

Both of them met and entered a new relationship with other people.

Vince continued sharing his story, saying, “I’ve recently started dating someone new, her name’s Emma. Things are going well, but I haven’t introduced her to my son just yet. I want to be sure it’s a stable relationship before I bring anyone new into his world.”

He went on to explain about Tessa, “While she’s been dating a new guy for 5 months. Our 4-year-old son knows him, but I don’t. At first, I didn’t see any reason to be concerned. Luke would come back talking about Brian. How he’s funny, how they played games together. I actually felt relieved that someone in Tessa’s life was treating my son kindly.”

Vince added, “Honestly, I was grateful. I thought it was great that Luke had another adult in his life who seemed to care about him. I had no jealousy, no lingering bitterness, just appreciation that Brian was there for Luke when I wasn’t around. I even thought about meeting him someday just to say thanks for being decent.”

But then, he said, “There was one thing, one thing that changed everything and made me start to question whether I’d been too trusting.”

Vince discovered an unpleasant thing about Brian.

Vince continued, "After a recent visit with them, my son came home acting strange. He seemed tired, and I observed him for a few days. He's been jumpy and lacks energy than his normal playful behavior. I was bothered, so I asked what was wrong. After a bit, he told me. Turns out, this boyfriend let my son watch a horror movie."

He added, "Luke said that they sometimes watch horror movies, but in the recent visit, Brian left him in the room while they're watching because he got a call. After that, he felt scared, and during his nap, he saw the woman in the movie. My son then had bad dreams about the movie and is now scared when the lights are off.

I was taken aback by this revelation. I know that they watched movies, but it didn't cross my mind that they would be watching a movie that is inappropriate for my child. I'm furious not just at Brian but at myself for letting this happen."

Vince was appalled at what happened.

Vince wrote, “I’m absolutely livid that Brian let my son watch a horror movie, and not just once. It’s something they’ve done a few times. This wasn’t some accident or last-minute decision. It’s part of their usual hangouts. We’re talking about a four-year-old here, not a teenager who can separate fiction from reality.”

He continued, “What really gets to me is the total lack of judgment. Horror movies? For a kid? My son came home anxious and couldn’t sleep properly. Honestly, I feel like a line was crossed. I’ve got no issue with Brian being involved in the everyday parts of my son’s life, it’s all fine. But when it comes to what my kid is emotionally exposed to, especially something intense like scary movies, that’s a hard boundary for me. I feel like I need to say something, set a limitation.”

He ended with a question, “Am I being too protective? Should I bring this up directly with Brian, or talk to Tessa and let her handle it? Or should I just let it go and hope it doesn’t happen again? Honestly, I’m torn. What would you do if it were your kid?”

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