'Petty and Cruel': Internet Slams Mom Preventing Daughter From Saying Goodbye To Beloved Pet

Thousands of commenters vehemently disagreed with one mother's decision making after her explanation of why she won't let her 9-year-old daughter see her beloved dog before it is euthanized went viral on Monday.

Posted in Reddit's popular r/AmITheA**hole subreddit, the viral post has received nearly 10,000 votes and 2,500 comments in just six hours. Titled, "AITA for not letting my ex pick up our daughter a day early so she can see her dog before it's put down?," the viral post was authored by Redditor u/contempory_lost5 and sparked such a visceral response from commenters that r/AmITheA**hole moderators locked the post from receiving any more comments.

In the viral post, u/contempory_lost5 explained that she and her ex-husband adhere to a strict custody schedule for their 9-year-old daughter. Explaining that her daughter stays with her from Sunday to Tuesday and with her ex-husband from Wednesday to Saturday, the Redditor said that Monday morning, her ex called with a last minute request—to pick their daughter up a day early so she could say goodbye to her beloved pet.

u/contempory_lost5 said that her ex-husband informed her that the dog will be euthanized tomorrow, and that he wanted their daughter to see it one last time. She also refused to let her husband pick up their daughter a night early, preventing the 9-year-old from bidding farewell to her beloved pet.

"I told him I didn't want to do that and didn't think it was a good idea to go against court ordered custody," she wrote. "And since he wouldn't watch her when I had a work emergency, I didn't see why this was any different."

According to the Betz Law Firm in St. Louis, Missouri, the most common custody arrangement between exes and co-parents is joint legal custody. Different from sole custody or physical custody, which place the majority of responsibility on a single custodial parent, joint legal custody allows divorced parents to both make important decisions concerning their child's welfare and upbringing.

Dropping child off with father
One Redditor came under fire when she said she refused to let her daughter see her beloved dog before it was euthanized. Solovyova/iStock / Getty Images Plus

Like all custody arrangements, joint legal custody comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages, but is arguably the most equitable arrangement. Nolo.com reports that, in many joint legal custody arrangements, it is common for children to split weeks between each parent's residences.

While custody arrangements vary situationally, states across the country have laws designed to prioritize the best interests of children of divorce. According to Nolo.com, each state considers a myriad of factors when deciding custody arrangements and implement arrangements based on the particular needs of particular situations. However, in many cases, parents deviate from agreed-upon custody arrangements, requiring further legal action.

In her original post, u/contempory_lost5 expressed her desire to stick to her court-ordered custody arrangement and detailed how her ex-husband reacted when she denied his request to pick their daughter up a day early.

"He said I was being overly dramatic and petty and cruel to not let [my daughter] see her dog," she wrote.

Echoing the same sentiments, many Redditors sided with u/contempory_lost5's ex-husband, berating the original poster for not letting her daughter say goodbye to her dog.

In the post's top comment, which has received 33.3K votes, Redditor u/Hot_Aside_4637 warned of the potential impact this type of parental behavior can have on children.

"Major [you're the a**hole]. What if a relative died?," they wrote. "These are the things that drive kids apart from their parents. Don't be the [a**hole parent]."

Responding to the top comment, Redditor u/PM_ME_YOUR_ISOTOPES said that u/contempory_lost5 was using her daughter as a pawn against her ex-husband.

"She wants revenge on her ex, it's about control," they commented. "Her spite is more important than her kid's emotional well being."

"It's unfathomably cruel," they added.

Amid thousands of commenters lambasting u/contempory_lost5, one Redditor offered her a potential solution.

"You should bring her to say goodbye to the dog if you don't want to blur the custody order. The important thing here is that your 9yo should be given the opportunity to say goodbye to a beloved pet and process her grief," they wrote.

Like the majority of commenters, however, Redditor u/Temporary_Badger was not so kind, and said that the original poster's ex-husband was spot-on in his assessment of the situation.

"'Overly dramatic and petty and cruel' is spot on," they wrote definitively.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Taylor McCloud is a Newsweek staff writer based in California. His focus is reporting on trending and viral topics. Taylor ... Read more

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