Many of us, if not all, used to hold this idea of our parents being these heavenly, can-do-no-wrong individuals who live in unconditional love and contentment.

Well, life sucks, and we learn a ton of unexpected things about our loved ones. This Redditor and her family, for instance, caught their father cheating on their mom after 35 years of marriage. What’s worse is that the man demanded his daughters meet his mistress only a month after the news came to light!

Man gets caught cheating on his wife after 35 years of marriage

A month later demands daughters meet his mistress

“AITA for not wanting to meet my dad’s mistress?” – this internet user took to one of Reddit’s most judgmental communities, asking its members if she’s indeed a jerk for not wanting to meet up with her father’s mistress a month after he got divorced from her mom. The post managed to garner 401 upvotes as well as 107 comments discussing the situation.

Did you know that according to the Institute for Family Studies – a publisher that is dedicated to strengthening marriage and family life, and advancing the well-being of children through research and public education – 20% of men and 13% of women have reported having sexual relations with someone other than their spouse while married? 

Now, just like any type of relationship, marriage is not easy; past baggage, trust issues, cultural and religious differences, mental health troubles, financial stress, high expectations – the list can go on and on. 

We’re all human with our own bats in the belfry, of course – however, it’s important to maintain great communication in order to make it all work!

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer as to why people cheat on their partners, let alone on those who they’ve been with for almost four decades. Perhaps it’s dissatisfaction in the relationship, an emotional disconnect, midlife crisis, or plain selfishness – one thing that’s for sure is that it’s a highly taxing experience that not only takes a toll on the partner’s well-being but on the entire family too. 

Dealing with such distressing news is no walk in the park, meaning that it’s vital to maintain boundaries and let the person(s) heal at their own pace, whether it takes weeks, months, or years, and not actively push a mistress meetup on your heartbroken daughters. 

They refuse and upset the dad, prompting the OP to head online to hear out some unbiased opinions

u/NoteGeneral963 is a 33-year-old with parents who she thought were happily married for 35 years. Unfortunately, a couple of years ago, she and the rest of her family found out about her father’s infidelity. Turns out, the man had been having a fling on the side with a woman younger than the OP, who he was training at his workplace. 

Naturally, after all the phone-calling incidents from the mistress’s husband, the author’s mother confronted her husband, and he confessed. The cheating scandal then got discovered at work, leading to the man’s termination, which prompted him to retire early and continue his life with his ex-trainee.

A month after the news broke out and the divorce was finalized, the man insisted his daughters meet his new lover – however, for obvious reasons, this was the last thing the women wanted to do at that moment. The 59-year-old didn’t agree with such an outcome and said that even though he didn’t like his daughters’ husbands, he still made an effort to bond with them, and claimed that the girls were being too hard on him, which ultimately led u/NoteGeneral963 to take it online to find out whether she was being a jerk towards her father. 

What is your take on the story? Do you think the Redditor was being reasonable?

Fellow online users shared their thoughts and opinions on the matter