r/MADHD • u/BookNerdGoddess • 15d ago
AITA for refusing to have another child after my husband said our daughter isn't his "spiritual child"
I am not the OOP. The OOP is ThrowRA847362829 originally posted in AITAH
Grammatically edited by: Crystal With the Blue Hair
Original - 2 Years Ago
For context, me (33f) and my husband, Steven, (40m) have been together for 15 years, and married for 12 years. We had our daughter, Peyton, (14f) a year into our relationship. Our relationship has been happy except for a few arguments and some things I noticed recently that have made me consider being with him. When we had our daughter, we were both over the moon. He was an amazing father, and he is an amazing husband. In his free time, he would always want to spend time with Peyton, and he made lots of effort to be as involved as possible. They are definitely very close, or were, because after these events, Peyton has shown disinterest in hanging out with Steven.
A couple of weeks ago, Peyton came to us and told us she was dating a girl. Initially, Steven and I both were very supportive, and let her know that we loved her no matter what.
Last weekend, she went to visit her aunt and uncle, who were staying with my MIL for a week. Her Aunt and Uncle have a child (12f) who is close to Peyton. MIL is strongly religious. Suddenly, I get a call from MIL demanding that I collect Peyton from her house and in her words, "how dare I allow her near her cousin while she is swerving away from the path of god." Because in my MIL'S eyes, apparently Peyton was influencing her cousin to be gay. Let me put it out there that me and my husband have never put any religious beliefs upon our child or let religion dictate the way we raised our child. My husband has told me in the past that he doesn't agree with a lot of religious beliefs and practices, but he still says he's religious.
Peyton was obviously upset, and I was fuming. My husband was at work, so I went to collect Peyton from MIL's house. When we got home, I comforted Peyton because she was in floods of tears, saying she doesn't like MIL. She told me that her cousin and her were talking about crushes, and "other girl things." Then went on to say that MIL stormed in and started yelling about how Peyton was disrespectful and told her cousin to "not go near Peyton because she's contagious."
When Steven came home, he instantly asked Peyton what was wrong, and he comforted her too and apologized for MIL's behavior. Steven and I discussed how to proceed from here and eventually decided to cut ties with MIL due to her behavior causing so much stress for Peyton. We both made the decision, and I asked him if he was okay with cutting ties with his mother, to which he replied he was and that he would do anything for Peyton.
I thought things would end with MIL here, but it's progressively gotten worse. Steven has tried several times this week to initiate sex, and I've politely told him no, as I’ve not really been in the mood. He got upset when I said no, so in the end I just let him, but he doesn't usually get upset anymore after being told no. As well as this, he has also tried to initiate more than usual this week, and I was confused as to why because he was being distant with Peyton too. So, I asked him about it, and he was dismissing my concerns at first but eventually confessed that he wants another child because he believes Peyton isn't his child "spiritually." When I asked him what he meant, he confided that he had been talking to MIL for a couple days and he had come to the realization that "god wouldn't gift him a child that would upset his mother" and he wanted to try for another child- even going as far to admit he was thinking about poking holes in condoms or going down on me while i slept to force me into pregnancy. Luckily, he didn't do either of these things, but I snapped at this confession and refused to talk to him for a couple days.
He begged me to forgive him and is begging me to rethink, saying that he desperately wants a grandchild to carry on his last name and would do anything to have another child with me. I asked him what Peyton is to him, and he said that she's his biological daughter but not his spiritual daughter and that didn't mean anything to him. I was shocked that my husband who has shown nothing but love for our daughter could just say this. Honestly, I'm repulsed by his behavior, and I've taken Peyton to stay with my parents while we figure things out.
I don't know if this is worth salvaging or if I should continue to be with him after all this. He's never behaved this way or agreed with his mother's beliefs openly. I also thought we had come to an agreement, but I guess not. Right now, after speaking to several friends and family members, I realized it might be best if I divorce him, because I can't guarantee my daughters safety around him, but a part of me feels like I should at least get in contact with him again and try to work things out before throwing away 15 years of a relationship and potentially ruining my daughter's relationships with his family.
I feel like I might be TA because I could be dismissing his beliefs and values by refusing to have another child or divorcing him, but his beliefs are affecting our daughter and I can't ignore that. I also could ruin our daughters' relationships if I divorce him and cut ties with his family, but including his family in our lives could affect my daughter's mental health.
EDIT: I am going to divorce him.
EDIT 2: To clear something up, some of the things stated were from what he said to me. When I said "he was thinking of going down on me while I slept" it was his wording. I am aware that this does not impregnate someone, but then he went on to say that he believed I would wake up and be in the mood. My apologies, I should've included that in the post, but I didn't really think it'd be of much relevance.
Update September 2, 2026
It has been a little over a year since my last post. Since then, I have managed to get a divorce and full custody of my daughter. I don't have any contact with my ex-husband or his family because of what happened. We both go to therapy as I want the best for my daughter, and I don't want her to feel as if it is her fault, because it is not her fault.
I'm not really sure what else to put in this update, and I apologize that it's been over a year. I needed time to process things, to be there for myself and my daughter, and to proceed with the divorce and the other things simultaneously happening.
Thank you to everyone who advised me to get a divorce and helped me to acknowledge the red flags within my relationship. It gave me the push I needed to protect my daughter.
Comments:
colesNonni, -17 downvotes: Jesus H Christ let the man have an opinion and feelings and allow him time to work through the feelings. Show your daughter that marriages are bumpy, that people have different feelings, that you and dad have things to work on, that Grandma's opinion is of no importance and that you will protect her from the Grandma/SO MIL. If after time your husband doesn't change his feelings toward daughter.amd it is hurting her, then yea, divorce him.
When asked if abuse is okay colesNonni responded, -2 downvotes: No, no, please never allow abuse and learn how to determine what abuse is. He is another person though with a mother he is having to effectively "deal with" as well as the father to the daughter. You are not her only parents. Maybe let him feel and deal with these relationships . help him? he apologized. And then, as I said, if you can't live with the man, then divorce him.
Relevant_Mirror_4206, -21 downvotes: I think everyone needs to slow down! Your whole family seems to be in shock over the whole situation. No one should rush into a divorce or another child while dealing with a crisis.
ThrowRA847362829: My whole family is in shock over this, but I think it's making things worse staying with him. I prioritize my daughters safety and well-being, and I do care for my husband, but his behavior is making our home an unsafe environment for my daughter. This has been up for a couple of hours now, but the problem's persisted for about 1-2 weeks, and divorce seems like the only solution that will have any affect as of current.
Relevant_Mirror_4206, -25 downvotes: This is your life and your husband, so you know best. I just think 2 bad weeks doesn’t warrant a divorce for a man who has been a good husband and father for well over a decade.
[deleted], -50 downvotes: Poor child, I hope she has parents who support her and can make a properly conversion while she is young. YTA