October 23, 2026 at 7:15 am

He’s Been Avoiding His Dad. Now His Dad Wants a Fresh Start and a Chance to Rebuild Their Relationship

by Jayne Elliott

father and son yelling at each other

Shutterstock

No parent is perfect, but some parents mess up more than others. Do you know how to know if you really, truly messed up as a parent? If your kid never wants to see you again.

In this story, one young man has a very strained relationship with his dad. Actually, that’s being generous. He has a broken relationship with his dad.

He tries to avoid seeing his dad, which isn’t too hard since his parents are divorced.

But his dad wants to try to rebuild their relationship. Is it wrong to continue to push his dad away?

Let’s read the whole story to decide.

AITA for not wanting to spend time with my dad?

My (19M) dad and I have always had a tumultuous relationship…

Hes constantly treated me like garbage especially after he found out I was gay.

I used to love playing sports baseball, football, wrestling etc. ,but my dad placed so much pressure on me about it that by the time I was 15 I had developed an anxiety disorder and bulimia.

He hasn’t seen his dad much recently.

My mom finally put him out and divorced him after I had to get committed my sophomore year because of a breakdown.

A year later he got some other women pregnant and they got married and supposedly he’s been in therapy to better himself for the last few years.

We’ve only had minimal contact since I was 16 and I’ve tried to be in my baby brother’s life as much as I can be without having to see my dad.

His dad wants to reconnect.

Recently my dad has been wanting me to spend time with him and that he was sorry for the way he treated me growing up.

I’ve repeatedly told him no.

He asked again Saturday while I was over visiting my brother.

And I yelled at him that it still hurts to be around and that I’d be happy never seeing him again..

He’s not sure what to do.

I could see how hurt he was by that so I left.

I got a call from my step mom saying that my dad is trying and that maybe I should give him a chance.

And I told her I’d think about it, but I didn’t know.. AITA?

His dad hurt him emotionally. It’s hard to get over that. Maybe they both need therapy before trying to rebuild a broken relationship.

Let’s see what Reddit suggests.

This person understands where they’re both coming from.

2026 10 22 at 1.08.34 PM He’s Been Avoiding His Dad. Now His Dad Wants a Fresh Start and a Chance to Rebuild Their Relationship

Another person is on OP’s side.

2026 10 22 at 1.08.59 PM He’s Been Avoiding His Dad. Now His Dad Wants a Fresh Start and a Chance to Rebuild Their Relationship

Here’s a suggestion to talk about it in therapy.

2026 10 22 at 1.09.30 PM He’s Been Avoiding His Dad. Now His Dad Wants a Fresh Start and a Chance to Rebuild Their Relationship

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a mom who has to explain to her kids why they can’t keep the baby snake they found as a pet.

Giving his dad another change might not help anything.

2026 10 22 at 1.09.42 PM He’s Been Avoiding His Dad. Now His Dad Wants a Fresh Start and a Chance to Rebuild Their Relationship

If he’s not in therapy, he should be. He should talk to his therapist about this situation. Perhaps he should only agree to give his dad another chance if his. dad goes to therapy.

Some people can change, but I can understand why he’s hesitant to start over.

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Jayne Elliott | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Jayne Elliott is a contributing writer and editor for TwistedSifter specializing in human interest stories, internet culture, and family dynamics. With over 12 years of editorial experience in digital publishing, Jayne excels at analyzing complex online communities and transforming viral social debates into thoughtful, highly engaging narratives.

Rather than simply aggregating internet drama, Jayne brings a sharp, empathetic editorial eye to everyday dilemmas. She has a unique talent for unpacking the nuances of pop culture and online conflicts, providing readers with relatable, well-researched commentary.

Based in California, Jayne spends her free time outside the newsroom exploring theme parks with her family or beach-combing along the coast.

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