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  • The Bold Family

    I suspect my mother knows about my father's infidelity, but should I confront them?

    2023-04-30

    As a 26-year-old woman, I strongly suspect that my 60-year-old father is cheating on my 55-year-old mother, and that she knows about it. My parents have always had marital issues, from financial troubles to work-related stress to gambling, among other things. My mom has been working in healthcare, mostly on night shifts, and last year she worked as a travel nurse for six months. When she returned home, she found out that my dad owed a considerable amount of money due to a shady loan he acquired for his failing business, which my mom had been urging him to let go of for years. This was the final straw for my mom, and she was ready to file for divorce, but in the end, she didn't sign the papers.

    My mom confided in me about her plans for divorce, and while she still cares for my dad, she decided to give their marriage another year until my younger brother finishes high school. They came to some sort of agreement, and my mom took a job out of state but plans to visit monthly to keep an eye on my brother. My dad doesn't have a steady job and earns money from his retirement check and driving for Uber, which has been a source of contention for years since my mom has been the primary breadwinner.

    My younger sister has confirmed that she thinks my dad is seeing someone, based on overheard conversations and odd behavior. He has been packing weekend bags and leaving the house for days at a time, sometimes up to four or five days. Although my siblings are mature and capable of taking care of themselves, my dad has always been physically absent even when he's there, and my mom has expressed her frustration with him not being present for my brother. She has asked him to be more involved in my brother's life and to talk to him about goal-setting and plans for the future.

    My mom has even praised my partner as a great role model for my brother and sister, and she was comforted by the fact that we offered to take them in if needed when she was still considering divorce. However, I am furious to find out that my dad is spending days away from the house, leaving my siblings alone. While I couldn't care less about his affairs and any agreements they may have, my concern is for my brother's lack of guidance and parenting. He has never had any big aspirations or plans for his future and hasn't shown interest in college, the military, vocational school, or even a job after high school. I'm worried that the absence of a father figure is affecting him negatively, and I don't want him to feel lost and unprepared for the real world.

    I'm concerned that my mom doesn't know the extent of my dad's absence, despite whatever agreement they have. I'm worried that the debt my dad has caused has tied her to him and that she's working hard to help him pay it off while he's off with another woman. I want to confront my dad about his cheating and ask him why he's leaving my siblings alone for days at a time, if he knows what's going on with my brother, and why he had the nerve to guilt trip my mom about "in sickness and in health" when he's the one who's not holding up his end of the bargain.

    As adults, my dad and I should be able to talk about these issues, and everything in me is screaming to be the voice that my brother and sister need. I want to "free" my mom from any lingering ties she may have with my dad, and I don't want my siblings to witness my dad's behavior and think it's okay. I know what my dad's absence did to me growing up, and I don't want my siblings to suffer the same way.

    Comments / 2
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    Sally Martinez
    2023-05-04
    I think both you and your sister should tell your mom together and let her decide how she wants to handle the situation.
    Stuart Shore
    2023-05-02
    Yep
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