Another commenter adds, “Seriously, choosing not to have children is one thing. Not taking in a beloved relative who happens to be a child in a time of crisis is a completely different situation!”
A critic argues, “The situation is very unfortunate, but neither OP nor his wife are in the wrong. OP is being a good brother by taking in his sister after her dad’s death, but his wife has every right to want (want, not demand) the child-free life they both agreed upon.” This comment triggers a flood of opinions from child-free advocates.
Refuting the accusation of selfishness, one person shares, “Always with the ‘selfish.’ I am child-free by choice and have been told I am selfish for not having children so many times. What people fail to understand is that, for some of us, it is WAY better…”
In a subsequent update, the original poster, now a “single father-ish brother,” shares, “I talked with my wife again. She still refused as she does not want kids. So we basically decided to go our separate ways.” The wife, disappointed with her husband’s decision, charges the OP with “choosing your sister over me.”
“Yes, my sister takes priority now. I am choosing her over you. This was our last conversation,” he adds. “I have been living with my sister for 1 week now. Being a single father-ish brother is definitely challenging, but I am really enjoying it.”
“Congratulations for being the brother your sister needs, and commiserations for having to be the brother your sister needs,” one netizen writes. Meanwhile, another user steps in to defend his soon-to-be ex-wife.
“Don’t be so quick to slander the wife. They agreed on no children, and there was another option (Uncle). OP made a choice under extremely difficult circumstances, and the wife chose to remain child-free. No one should be attacked in this situation. Not all choices in life are easy, but this was still a choice.”
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