A flabbergasted woman, 24, took to Reddit for some relationship advice when she learnt that her mum, 43, was considering dating her ex-boyfriend, 26.
She explained that her mum has been divorced for around 10 years and was getting a bit “lonely”, although she never actually “put herself out there” – or so she thought.
The daughter explained that when she broke up with her own boyfriend, her mum kept in contact with him and they became “closer” as friends.
She didn’t mind at first as she was on good terms with her boyfriend after the breakup – she wanted kids and he did not – and as far as she was concerned there was nothing inappropriate going on between him and her mother.
However, things have since gotten a little cosy between them, with the mum revealing she “almost kissed him” one night “and he didn’t pull back”.
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To make matters worse, her mum then asked her if she would mind if she started “dating” the ex-boyfriend.
She took to Reddit with the moral quandary – while she wants to see her mum happy, the idea of her dating her ex-boyfriend just “feels weird”.
Posing the dating dilemma to Reddit, she stated: “I know that if I say yes they’ll be going at it within a week and I don’t know how I’ll feel about that.
“I’m not really comfortable with the idea that my mum will be having my seconds but on the other hand this is the first time she’s shown interest in a man and I want her to be happy. Please help!”
She continued: “I don’t want her to be lonely but I don’t know about her dating my ex.”
The forum couldn’t believe it and rushed to the comments section to express their disbelief and disgust.
One user said: “That’s f***** up. I’m sorry. I’d be putting your foot down. Sounds like she’s lonely and trusts this guy and is possibly trying to make that mean more, but it’s completely unacceptable to pursue her daughter’s ex. Not to mention the age gap.
“I’m sorry. I’d have a firm talk with her about this and make it clear that it’s not okay. Maybe try and suggest other ways she could start dating again.”
Another called the mum “deranged”, and a third called the budding romance a “disaster in the making”.
Thanking Reddit for the comments, she revealed that her mother and her ex ended up deciding that dating each other would be “wrong” – “so all in all I’m not gonna be calling my former daddy my dad any time soon”.