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Divorce and separation can cause major problems in a family, so it is important to do everything you can to stay close to your kids.

What would you do if you had been giving your son a ride to school every morning, but on multiple occasions he had days off but he didn’t tell you about it ahead of time?

That is what happened to the father in this story, so he got upset and said he would no longer be giving him a ride, but now his son and his soon-to-be ex wife are angry.

To me, it seems clear that this guy needs to step it up and be a better parent. Read through the full story below and see what you think.

AITA for not dropping my son off at school anymore?

Me (48M) and my wife (44F) have been separated for 3 years now.

Separation can make things very difficult on everyone in the family.

We have not formally divorced because of reasons I will not go into. We have 3 kids, ‘S’ (M15), ‘P’ (M11), and ‘D’ (F8).

Currently, all 3 kids stay over at wife’s house on weekdays, and P and D come to my place on weekends. My relationship with S is somewhat strained, and so he chooses not to come over on weekends.

Spending time with his son is a good idea, even if it doesn’t seem fruitful.

However, I have agreed to drop him off at school everyday, because he lives very far from it. It is approximately a 1 hour bus ride, but with me dropping him off, it would only take 20 minutes.

It works out for me because I can drop him off at around 8:20, and get to my work on time. S is generally very quiet on our trips to school. He will put on the radio, or listen to music on the phone. Sometimes, we will go the entire trip without saying a single word.

This is rude of his son, but he can also keep track of the school schedule.

Last month, S had a student free day, and he stayed home. However, I was not aware of this, and I came anyways. I waited outside his house for around 20 minutes, until I received a text from my wife who told me S had no school.

This again happened last week. I got mad at my wife and told her this was impolite, and told her she was a horrible parent for not teaching any manners to S.

Here is a family that needs to work on their communication skills.

This morning, I was a little late and I got to their home around 10 minutes later than usual. Again, there was no one. I later found out that S thought I was not going to pick him up anymore, and took the bus instead.

I was really angry at this, because this was the third time that this happened, and I told them I would not be picking them up anymore.

His wife is exactly right.

My wife blew up on me on the phone, calling me an AH for not picking up my son anymore and making life generally more inconvenient.

She thinks I should keep up with my son’s schedule and that I should know when his student free days are (there is a school calendar stating big events at the school, but I do admit that I don’t check it very often).

It isn’t being used to give your son a ride to school when you are a parent.

S now has to wake up around 30 minutes earlier to catch the bus on time. However, I think that until they change, I feel like I am being used.

So here I am, asking for opinions on this.

AITA?

While we only get a glimpse into the family dynamic from this story, it is easy to see why his son doesn’t really like him. This father seems very selfish.

Let’s see what the people in the comments have to say about the situation.

He really isn’t a great husband or father.

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Yup, this person is exactly right.

This commenter says that he is the adult and he should act like it.

He is clearly not parenting well.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a man who deliberately kisses his newborn nephew while sick with a cold, going directly against the parents’ explicit wishes.

This commenter says he is a bad parent.

He really needs to step it up and be a better parent. Raising kids can be frustrating and annoying at times, but that is just part of the job.

If he keeps parenting like this, he won’t ever have a good relationship with his son.

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Author

Michael Levanduski

Senior Contributing Editor, Workplace & Community

Michael Levanduski is a veteran journalist and digital culture specialist with over 15 years of professional writing and research experience. While his background spans emerging technology and complex technical subjects, Michael specializes in analyzing workplace ethics, property disputes, and viral interpersonal dynamics across modern digital forums.

Since joining TwistedSifter in 2024, Michael has authored some of the publication’s most widely read coverage on corporate policy, malicious compliance, and neighborhood relations. Rather than simply aggregating online debates, he brings rigorous research, organizational context, and an empathetic editorial voice to everyday human dilemmas—transforming raw forum discussions into insightful, highly engaging narratives.

When he isn’t covering internet culture, Michael enjoys traveling, keeping up with tech trends, and spending time with his family. Connect with Michael on LinkedIn and Facebook.