She Refuses to Give Her Stepson Her Engagement Ring. Did She Go Too Far?
by Matthew Gilligan
Family heirlooms are nothing to joke about…
And if you don’t play your cards right, you’ll be cut out from getting things like that from your elders!
So treat them with respect…or else you’ll end up like this guy.
But the question remains…did this woman act like an a**hole?
Check out her story and let us know what you think.
AITA for refusing to give my stepson my engagement ring because he never treated me like family?
“I (49F) have been with my husband Bill (53M) for the past 20 years. Bill had two children from his previous marriage, Jim (31M), and Paige (27F). We also have one biological child together, Harry (16M).
Jim’s and Paige’s mom passed away they were 9 and 5. I met Bill around 2 years after his former wife had d**d. When I started building a relationship with the kids, I made it clear that I was not going to replace their mom and would be a trusted figure whom they could approach if they ever needed me.
That being said, I still made an effort to treat them like I would my own child. I would take them to school, pick them up, take them to doctor’s appointments, make their lunches, ask my parents to get them presents for Christmas and birthdays etc.
Both kids were somewhat hostile towards me at first, which I understand because they lost their mom. However, Paige eventually warmed up to me and saw me as a trusted confidant and maternal figure. She didn’t ask me nor did I expect her to want me to adopt her, but she still calls me mom which I appreciate
Jim on the other hand continued to be mean and hostile. I have never treated him poorly or antagonized him. Nevertheless, he would make misogynistic statements like “it’s your job as the woman to clean the dishes” when I would ask him to clean his plate or call me a b**ch when my back was turned. My husband told him many times that the way he was treating me was uncalled for and for us to go to family therapy but he always refused.
He eventually moved out after reaching adulthood. He continues to maintain contact with his father and siblings but its minimal between him and me and even then he doesn’t treat me well. Now I have an engagement ring that is a family heirloom for several generations.
It is passed down from the mother to the oldest child. My husband got the ring from my mom to propose to me. I told all 3 children about this heirloom a few years ago.
Anyway, Jim currently has a girlfriend whom he intends to propose to. He called me out of the blue one day and asked if he could have the ring. I told him no. When he asked why, I told him it was because of how he has treated me all these years and how he continues to treat me and I don’t want my family heirloom going to someone who sees me as vermin.
When he asked whom it would go to, I told him it would go to Paige when she gets engaged. When he heard this he lost his s**t and accused me of playing favorites. I eventually hung up when he wouldn’t stop insulting me and blocked his number. My husband is on my side but his maternal relatives have all been blowing up my phone telling me what an a**hole I am.
So AITA?”
Here’s what folks had to say on Reddit.
This person said she’s NTA and they seemed outraged by her stepson.
Another reader said they think they know exactly what’s going on here.
And this Reddit user said she definitely shouldn’t give the ring to Jim.
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