“After 16 Years of Silence, Why Is Her Ex Furious About a Baby She Never Had?”
In a world where life decisions often feel like a high-stakes game of Jenga, one anonymous woman’s experience truly illustrates the fragility of relationships, especially when it comes to something as poignant as adoption. Imagine being a teenager, navigating the wild waters of unexpected pregnancy, only to find yourself abandoned by the very person who should have been your partner in this journey. Fast forward sixteen years, and out of nowhere, your ex reappears, armed with guilt trips and regret over choices that you made—choices he had no part in. Is it fair to criticize someone after you’ve ghosted them for a decade and a half? In this gripping story, we dive deep into the complexities of choices made under duress and the ongoing need for compassion in challenging circumstances. Curious about how this saga turns out? Stick around as we unpack this emotional rollercoaster! LEARN MORE.
The decision to give your child up for adoption is a difficult and deeply personal one. Nobody can do it for you. Whatever you choose to do, nobody is in a position to judge you if they haven’t been in your shoes.
An anonymous woman opened up to the AITA online group about how she had given up her baby for adoption after getting pregnant as a teenager. Now, sixteen years later, she ran into her ex who had abandoned her. The man began guilt-tripping her for supposedly denying him his chance at fatherhood but got shut down.
Now, the woman turned to the internet to get a verdict on whether she handled the situation right. You’ll find the full story below. Bored Panda reached out to the author of the story to hear more about what happened. She was kind enough to answer our questions. You’ll find our full interview with her, including why people must stop forcing their ideals on young mothers-to-be, and instead support them.
Teenage pregnancy can be very scary, especially if your partner abandons you
Image credits: Curated Lifestyle / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
An anonymous woman revealed how her ex confronted her 16 years after she gave her baby up for adoption
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Drazen Nesic / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Katie Treadway / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: RDNE Stock project / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: MuchComment1327
Around a quarter of people living in the US know a relative or friend who has adopted
The Adoption Network explains that between 2% to 4% of adults living in the United States have adopted a child. Around half of these families have both biological and adopted children.
Overall, around 5 million Americans are adopted, including children adopted by relatives or stepparents. Around 115k adoptions took place in the US in 2019, according to a study conducted by the National Council of Adoption. This number included foster care, stepparent, and private placement adoptions.
As per a 2019 YouGov survey, a quarter of respondents had a friend or family member who was adopted. Meanwhile, 24% of people said that they had considered adopting a child at some point in their lives.
Referring to the US Department of Health and Human Services’ data, The Adoption Network notes that there are almost 114k foster children eligible for adoption. 54.2k foster kids were adopted in 2021 alone.
However, there are around 391k kids in foster care in the US overall, with 214k new individuals entering the system in 2022.
The average child waiting for adoption is almost 8 years old, while 52% of children who enter foster care were aged 6 or older in 2019.
Roughly 60% of kids spend between two to five years in the system before finally being adopted while 11% spend five or more years. The sad reality is that some children are never adopted at all.
“People need to stop forcing their ideals on young mothers-to-be, especially teens who get accidentally pregnant. They need support, not judgmental comments”
Image credits: Natalia Blauth / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
We asked the author of the story for her thoughts on why her ex insisted on wanting to be a father now of all times. “I don’t know. Mike has never reached out to me in the past since I told him I was pregnant. The only contact I had was from his parents telling me Mike had left out of state because he had a bright future that the baby and I wouldn’t ruin,” she opened up to Bored Panda.
“That was the last time I ever heard from him. I suspect he felt guilt when he saw me with my stepson and thought ‘Oh, that’s the family I missed out on.’ But who knows.”
The author shared some practical advice with any moms who find themselves in a situation similar to hers. “My advice is simple: Any mom regardless of age should do what she feels is best for herself. Not what others expect of them. For me, it was putting the child up for adoption,” she said.
