When our 4-year-old son returned home from a recent visit with his mom, something seemed off. I asked what was bothering him, and after a pause, he finally opened up.
He told me that her boyfriend—someone I hadn’t even met—asked him not to call me “Daddy” while at their home. Instead, he suggested my son call him “Dad.”
At first, I was stunned. My son sat quietly on the couch, nervously playing with his jacket zipper, unsure of what to make of the situation. I knelt beside him and reassured him gently: “You only have one dad, and that’s me. You never have to call anyone else that.”
Later that night, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Was this new person trying to replace me, or was it just a misunderstanding? Either way, I knew I had to address it calmly—for my son’s sake.
The next day, I reached out to my ex, Talia. We met at a local coffee shop, and I explained what our son had told me. To her credit, she was surprised and concerned. “I had no idea,” she said. “That’s not okay. I’ll talk to him.”
Still, I felt it was important to speak with her boyfriend directly. We arranged to meet at a playground where our son could play nearby.
When I arrived, I spoke plainly. “You don’t get to ask my son to stop calling me Dad. I understand you’re part of his life now, and that’s fine. But boundaries matter—especially for a child this young.”
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