Running into a parent and their new partner after a difficult divorce can be tough, especially when emotions are still raw.

How would you react if you were out celebrating your mom’s birthday, only to unexpectedly see your dad approaching with his new girlfriend?

This young woman recently found herself in this exact situation, and wonders if her reaction was out of line.

Here’s what happened.

AITA For not shaking my dad’s girlfriend’s hand?

I (21F), my brother (25M), and my mom (53F) were out at a restaurant to celebrate her birthday.

We sat outside the restaurant on the porch. The place is located in a busy area (it’s a strip of stores and restaurants).

We could see tons of people walking by the restaurant.

As we were sitting, I saw a man and a woman walking in our direction.

The first thing I noticed was 1.) The woman was wearing a short, tight black dress, and 2.) The guy looked like my dad.

I don’t have the best eyesight, but I did have my glasses on, and I was 90% sure that it was my dad.

The divorce was not easy on her.

My brother immediately noticed him.

My dad made eye contact with us, and that is when my mom noticed him as well.

My parents have been divorced for a year now. The divorce was messy and was one of the worst parts of my life that I’ve had to go through.

Now, however, my parents are cordial with each other, but they do it for the sake of my brother and me.

My dad is honestly not a good person and did a lot of terrible things to my mom that I won’t get into.

Here’s where the drama starts.

So, my dad and the woman come over, and I’m experiencing emotions that I’ve NEVER felt before. My entire body was actually trembling.

She proceeded to introduce herself, but it went over my head.

She then shook my mom’s hand and shook my brother’s hand, and when she turned to me, I just stared at her & didn’t shake her hand.

She proceeded to say, “Oh okay, I see,” in the most rude tone ever; I’m not even exaggerating.

The whole situation was very awkward.

The entire time my dad was talking to my mom, who was being extremely nice and friendly, this lady had her hands ALL OVER him.

I couldn’t even look at them, and my brother wasn’t uttering a single word.

My dad then ended the conversation by waving dramatically and saying, “Alright, my Smiths!” (For privacy reasons, I used a fake last name).

My mom kept my dad’s last name because she is a teacher, and she felt like it would be easier for her students and coworkers if she kept the same name.

We found that statement to be rather condescending & weird.

Also, I had spoken to my dad on the phone earlier that day and told him about our plans to go eat at that place.

So he knew that we were going to be there, and he knew that he could potentially run into us.

Frustrated, she has yet to speak to her father.

I haven’t spoken to my dad yet.

However, minutes after they left, he sent my brother a text containing the emoji with 1 eye peeking through his hands.

If she had a bit more decorum and had not acted the way she did, I would have been a bit nicer to her.

My dad, at the very least, could have just continued walking on. That’s what all three of us wished he would’ve done in that situation.

I obviously have no control over my parents’ dating lives. I just don’t particularly want to be involved with who they see (unless it gets very serious).

I’ve even made this very clear to both of my parents, and they are both aware of how serious I am about this.

AITA?

That must have been an uncomfortable experience for everyone.

Let’s see what Reddit readers have to say about this story.

According to this person, sometimes life is easier without your dad.

This person thinks the father did it on purpose.

Great thoughts – he was definitely insensitive to his kids and ex.

Here’s someone who thinks he and the girlfriend should’ve acted better.

This is a terrible situation to put your kids in.

The girlfriend is one thing, but her father should have known better.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.