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By Darlin Tillery
Life & Trends Reporter
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A seven-month pregnant woman says a text from her father has left her reeling after years of unresolved family conflict resurfaced around her unborn child.
In a post shared on Reddit, user Pomegranates_r_us described a strained relationship with her father that has long centered on his insistence that she take responsibility for her younger sister, despite the original poster (OP) being only five years old when her sister was born.
"I’m no contact with my sister after really awful behavior around my wedding," she explained. "My dad has never genuinely held her accountable and instead leans on this idea that she is 'my daughter,' that I’m basically her parent/caretaker."
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But tensions recently boiled over after a phone call in which her father asked whether her sister would be invited to her baby shower—and what she would do if she showed up anyway.
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The following day, he sent the OP a TikTok video made by her sister, prompting her to reply, "I'm not watching her haha."
Her father then told her, "In many ways, she is your daughter," and later added that she was “more her mother” than their actual parent.
She pushed back, pointing out that she was five years old when her sister was born and that she had already “given up enough” and wasn't "interested in giving up anymore."
Later that night, her father sent another message reading, “Your daughter...Her nephew Gaston,” which proved the tipping point for the OP.
"He’s decided my unborn son should be named after him," the OP wrote. "His name is Gaston, and despite my being extremely clear that I am not naming my child Gaston, he keeps referring to my baby by his own name."
After speaking with her mother, who advised her that reacting emotionally would only reinforce his behavior and would not change the outcome, she chose not to respond and deleted the message thread.
For now, she plans to take space, saying she does not want the stress while she is this far along in pregnancy.
Reddit Reacts
Commenters responding to the post were blunt, with one writing, “This reframing of you as your sister's mom is ‘mental-health-concern’ levels of weird. This is so not normal. I agree with your mom. Don't respond. Take a break."
Another advised, “Just cut them off. Clearly, he’s unwilling to accept any viewpoint other than his.”
“If anything, you've been too gentle," one contributor noted. "You're absolutely not wrong for not wanting to put up with this weird nonsense.”
Family Estrangement
Family estrangement is more common than many assume. More than one in four Americans have cut off contact with a family member, according to data cited by Parents.com.
“Toxic behavior can be abusive, demeaning, hurtful, or exploitative,” Andrew Roffman, a licensed clinical social worker at NYU Langone Health, told the outlet.
“Behaviors in these categories are missing an essential ingredient, regard for the emotional experience and well-being of another person.”
The Bowen Center for the Study of the Family describes emotional cutoff as a way people reduce contact to manage unresolved family issues, noting that while tension may decrease, “the problems are dormant, not resolved.”
For the OP, the decision is about protecting her mental state ahead of childbirth—even as she questions whether she is overreacting or simply refusing to normalize behavior she has lived with for years.
Newsweek has reached out to Pomegranates_r_us for comment via Reddit. We could not verify the details of the case.
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