Dad Says He Worked Hard to Co-Parent With His Ex After Her Affair, but Hearing His Son Call Her Boyfriend His “Best Buddy” Broke His Heart

A father says he has spent the last two years rebuilding his life after his marriage ended in a painful betrayal.

Through therapy, self-reflection, and a lot of emotional work, he managed to build a stable co-parenting relationship with his ex-wife — even accepting the presence of the man she left him for.

But one unexpected moment with his young son recently reminded him how hard co-parenting can still be.

A Marriage That Ended in Betrayal

The man explained that his marriage collapsed after his wife admitted she had been having an affair while pregnant with their daughter.

According to him, the affair began when she was about two months pregnant.

After their daughter was born, the situation became even more painful.

He later learned that while he briefly left the hospital to care for their son, the affair partner came to visit the newborn on her very first day of life.

Eventually, his wife left him to be with that man.

Learning to Co-Parent Anyway

Despite the heartbreak, the father says he spent the past two years doing everything he could to become a healthier parent and person.

Through therapy and personal work, he learned how to co-parent respectfully with his ex.

He also accepted that the man who had the affair with his wife is now a regular presence in his children’s lives.

While he doesn’t consider him a friend, he says the man treats the children well, which matters most to him.

He makes a point never to speak negatively about their mother or her boyfriend in front of the kids.

The Moment That Broke Him

Recently, the father was spending the weekend with his children after taking them to the library following his daughter’s dance class.

During the car ride, his five-year-old son said he was excited for Tuesday.

At first, the father assumed it had something to do with a school event.

But when he asked why, his son replied that he was excited to snuggle his mom’s boyfriend because “he’s my best buddy.”

That phrase hit especially hard.

The father says he and his son always called each other “best buddy,” and it had become a special phrase between them.

Hearing his son say it about someone else left him devastated.

Trying Not to Let His Kids See the Pain

The father admitted he struggled to hide his reaction.

His daughter asked why he looked sad, and his son quickly noticed something was wrong.

Realizing what happened, the boy reassured him by saying he was excited to snuggle him later too.

The father told his son he hadn’t done anything wrong.

Instead, he explained that he simply wishes he could see his children every day — and that sometimes it hurts knowing their time together is limited.

“It just really sucks sometimes,” he wrote.

Reddit’s Reaction

Many commenters praised the father for the maturity he’s shown despite everything he’s been through.

One user, Lanah44, wrote:

“Mad respect. You sound like a great father.”

Others emphasized that children often remember who consistently showed them love and stability while they were growing up.

User calmwildflowerr commented:

“Kids feel safe because of you. That matters more than they’ll ever know right now.”

For the father, the hardest part isn’t that his kids care about another adult — he says there’s no limit to how much love children can give.

What hurts is realizing that some of the moments and bonds he once imagined sharing exclusively with them now belong to someone else too.

And sometimes, even when you’re doing everything right as a parent, that reality still stings.

 

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