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Dating someone with grown kids can put you in some complicated situations.

One business owner found himself in such a situation when his girlfriend of five months asked if he had any job openings for her 20-year-old son, a young man without college plans, steady work, or any direction in life.

He gave her a quick, honest no, explaining he wouldn’t want “someone like that” affiliated with his businesses in any way.

His girlfriend’s visible disappointment caught him off guard, especially since he barely knows her son and doesn’t consider himself any kind of father figure.

He still believes he made the right call, but something about her reaction had him second-guessing his decision.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITAH for not giving my GF’s adult son a job at my company?

I (34M) have been dating my current girlfriend (41F) for about 5 months now.

She has a 20-year-old son that she’s not particularly close with and isn’t super fond of.

However, their relationship has some complexity.

She has certain moments of guilt or regret over the fact that his dad is not in his life and he’s basically meandering through life without a path.

He isn’t in college, doesn’t have a steady job, and seems to have no ambition.

Soon, his girlfriend came to him with a rather uncomfortable proposition.

My girlfriend asked me recently if I had any openings for him at any of the businesses I own.

I could always use good help, but I said I didn’t, because I’d never want someone like him affiliated with my businesses in any way.

My girlfriend seemed sad by the short, direct reply, which in turn made me feel bad.

At the same time, he doesn’t feel like he has any real responsibility for her son.

It’s not like I’m his stepdad or anything. He’s an adult on his own and I barely know him. Just because I’ve been dating his mom for a bit, does that mean I have to try and turn his life around?

I feel like I was in the right, but for some reason that interaction hasn’t sat well with me, and I feel like an AH.

Sounds like he made the decision that was right for his business.

What did Reddit have to say?

Perhaps he’s making a bit too harsh of an initial judgment.

This user speculates on how this son ended up in his state.

This user thinks there’s a fine line between honest and just plain cruel.

He’s really not being very openminded at all about this.

Running a business and running a rescue mission for someone else’s kid are two very different responsibilities, and he’s allowed to keep those separate.

But on the other hand, redditors do have a point. It’s worth asking himself if he actually knows this son well enough to be making these kinds of calls. There’s a real possibility he’s running on assumptions instead of firsthand knowledge.

There’s a difference between protecting your business and writing someone off before you’ve even met them.