Parenting means showing up for your children.

What would you do if your stepson’s biological father wasn’t in the picture at all but refused to sign the paperwork to let you adopt him? Would you accept his decision or call him out on not really being a father figure in his child’s life?

This man wants to adopt his wife’s son, so they both talked to the biological father, asking him to sign the papers.

But the father is resisting, and the situation is getting pretty stressful.

Read the full story below to find what happens.

AITAH for telling my stepson’s biological father he isn’t a dad?

I met my wife when my stepson was three years old.

Her ex-husband had completely abandoned both of them.

He was trying to dodge child support.

The court eventually had to garnish his wages.

This man wanted to adopt his wife’s son.

We got married last year, and I told her I wanted to adopt my stepson.

Getting her ex-husband to sign the paperwork has been difficult because first, we had to find him. Then, once we located him, he said he didn’t want to sign the papers.

He was trying to convince the child’s biological father to sign the papers.

My wife, who is pregnant, broke down emotionally and couldn’t talk to him anymore, so I’ve had to handle that moving forward.

I explained to the ex-husband that if he signs the papers, he won’t have to pay child support anymore.

He quit the job that was garnishing his wages and is working under the table now, so that’s sort of a hollow promise.

He already isn’t paying.

But the biological dad wouldn’t agree.

He said that as stepson’s dad, he can’t let another man raise him.

I said he was crazy. He’s not a dad. He’s a sperm donor and I’ve been raising his son.

He’s pretty upset.

I’m so angry, and I think my anger has made me irrational.

Did I go too far?

Was I a jerk for saying that?

He told the truth. The biological father isn’t acting like a father at all.

Let’s read the reactions of other people to this story on Reddit.

This user shares their personal thoughts.

You were right to call him out, says this person.

Yes, indeed.

And finally, this person advises listening to the lawyers.

The real father is the one who cares for the child.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a guy who was forced to sleep on the couch at his wife’s family’s house, so he went to a hotel instead.