In a perfect world, everyone would be able to attend every event they were invited to. But in reality, life all too often gets in the way.

So when one single dad was forced to decline an invite to his cousin’s child-free wedding after he couldn’t find care for his kids, his cousin wasn’t prepared to let it go easily.

Keep reading for the full story!

AITA for not attending my cousin’s wedding because it’s child-free and I couldn’t find childcare?

I (35M) was invited to my cousin’s wedding, which is happening in a few days.

The invitation specified that it would be a child-free event.

I have two young children, ages 3 and 5, and unfortunately, I couldn’t find anyone to take care of them on the day of the wedding.

I explained the situation to my cousin and apologised, saying I wouldn’t be able to attend.

His cousin wasn’t happy.

She seemed understanding at first, but later sent me a message saying I should have tried harder to find a solution, as family should prioritise important events.

While I respect her choice to have a child-free wedding, I’m not in the wrong for prioritising my children’s care.

I will also say I am a single dad. I lost my wife to cancer a year ago.

So, AITA for not attending my cousin’s wedding due to a lack of childcare?

Sure, missing the wedding isn’t ideal, but neither is leaving his kids without a guardian.

What did Reddit think?

This is not how his cousin should have handled this situation at all.

If it were up to this commenter, they would say this.

This commenter assures the single dad that he did more than his due diligence.

It may be dramatic now, but sooner or later, this situation will pass.

When you’re a parent, your children always come first.

f 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.