Recently, a young man’s revelation about his parents led to an unexpected turn in his romantic journey.
The original poster (OP), a 25-year-old guy, has two parents: his birth dad, John, aged 48, and his other dad, Dwayne, aged 45.
OP lovingly referred to them as “Dad” and “Pops,” respectively.
An Unconventional Family
OP shares that his birth dad, John, was married to OP’s mom for a few years, but they eventually divorced, and she left, leaving John to raise OP.
Life took a new turn when John introduced OP to Dwayne, revealing that they were in a relationship.
This brought immense joy to OP, as he had witnessed his dad’s loneliness after the divorce.
OP was thrilled to see his dad find love and happiness with someone like Dwayne.
Their bond grew stronger, and eventually, John and Dwayne got married, forming a loving, unconventional family.
OP cherished both his dads and considered himself blessed to have them as parents.
OP felt an equal love for both, but he admitted being closer to Pops due to his laid-back and cool demeanor.
The family lived an amazing life together, and OP never considered his family structure to be anything but normal.
A New Relationship & A Surprise Reaction
Amid this blissful journey, OP began dating a girl named Bella, who was around his age.
OP found her cute and was interested in her. As their relationship progressed, Bella expressed her parents’ desire to meet OP’s parents and have dinner together.
OP readily agreed, planning to introduce his family to Bella’s.
The fateful moment arrived on a Friday night when Bella came over for dinner.
Pops warmly greeted her, and she cordially shook his hand. Then, she saw Dad emerge from the kitchen, holding a mac n’ cheese tray with mittens on.
However, Bella’s response took OP aback. Confused, she asked, “Who’s he?” and further probed, “I thought he’s your dad?” referring to Pops.
OP calmly clarified the family dynamics, introducing both John and Dwayne as his dads.
Bella’s reaction surprised him, as she exclaimed, “I didn’t know your parents are gay? Oh my god? Why didn’t you tell me?”
OP was genuinely puzzled by her reaction, as he had never considered his parents’ sexuality to be an issue.
OP believed that their love was not something that should affect his relationship with Bella.
Nonetheless, Bella’s parents arrived outside, and she promptly announced that they should leave. They departed, leaving a lingering tension behind.
As he went to apologize to his parents, OP was surprised by their response. They assured him that they had encountered such reactions before. They all settled down, enjoyed dinner together, and moved on.
Seeking advice and perspectives, OP turned to the online community, posting his story and questions.
Love Knows No Labels
As OP’s story went live, comments poured in, each offering unique insights into the situation.
Djorgal, one of the first commenters on the post, questioned,
“Did she ever tell you her parents are straight?”
While seemingly simplistic, this comment subtly highlighted the double standard that exists when it comes to revealing family backgrounds.
Lonelyspren offered an empathetic viewpoint, emphasizing the need to reveal one’s family dynamics early on in a relationship to weed out potential homophobes.
AnotherPanicDisorder echoed Lonelyspren‘s sentiment, urging transparency with potential long-term partners about family backgrounds.
“I think telling potential long-term partners that you have two dads early on (or at least before everyone meets up) would save you some heartbreak down the road.”
Riyokosan found it strange that OP hadn’t spoken about his parents before the meeting, pointing out the typical pre-meeting discussions about each other’s parents.
It raised questions about whether OP intentionally avoided mentioning his parents’ sexuality or whether it simply hadn’t come up organically in their conversations.
Theholidayarmadillo3 vehemently supported OP, advising him not to internalize any perceived wrongdoing.
This comment stressed the importance of not bending to societal pressures or compromising one’s authenticity for the sake of others.
True love and acceptance should not be conditional upon others’ prejudices.
Binatangmerah, however, expressed skepticism about the authenticity of OP’s account, citing doubts about the plausibility of both sets of parents meeting each other so early in the relationship.
“I find it impossible to believe that a meeting of the parents would happen without any kind of conversation along the lines of ‘what are your parents like? And what are their names/what should I call them?’”
The Verdict
OP’s revelation about his two gay dads sparked an array of reactions from social media users.
The majority of the online community criticized Bella’s discomfort and recommended OP to disclose this facet of his life early in a relationship to screen out prejudices.
Meanwhile, some users also showed their skepticism at OP’s account, as they could not believe that the topic would not have been discussed earlier between OP and his girlfriend.
Ultimately, the story highlights the complexities of modern relationships and the need for open communication and acceptance.
What would you have done? Let us know in the comments. Do you think the OP from this social media post was wrong?
Featured Image Credit: Tverdohlib.com /Depositphotos.com.
This article originally appeared on Ash & Pri.
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