Cold-Hearted.. -- Two Hot Takes Podcast Full Episode -- Reddit Stories 

It's a rare diagnosis because narcissist rarely go to therapy.

For the ill son story....sometimes ignorance is bliss. He's obviously in his last days, maybe weeks, and the last thing he wants to know is his mom cheated and is blackmailing his dad to stay with her. Then again, a woman like her doesn't care what others get out of it (emotional trauma/stress) she only cares what she gets...not a divorce! Such a monster and I feel awful for the husband!

This lady has weaponised her sons terminal condition... so awful, the poor son 😞

i kinda disagree on the story about the ex whose wife was dying. if someone abused you, you don't owe them empathy. not because they don't deserve empathy in general but because it's not anyone's responsibility to give emotional support to their abuser. of course he deserves support and understanding, but emotionally dumping onto someone you abused isn't okay and she shouldn't be expected to care for him emotionally. with that said, she could've been honest and straightforward about how she felt instead of hanging up on him. i would've said something like "i'm sorry you're going through this and i hope your wife is okay, but considering our past, i don't have the emotional capacity to be here for you on such a heavy subject and you need to find someone else to talk about this with. if you can't talk about the school pictures right now, i'll call back later."

I was diagnosed with MS in 2019 in the hospital. My partner stuck by my side every day of my treatment, fed me, showered me, and held me as I learned to walk again. Not once did I ever consider that he would leave me. Unfortunately, I was told many stories where women with MS are abandoned by their male partners because they instantly lose attraction. It breaks my heart to hear this, I don't know what I would have done without my partner. I proposed to him a month later, I knew he was the one.

TIME STAMPS First story 5:29 Ad 18:46 Second story 20:32 Third story 27:45 Ad 36:58 Fourth story 37:24 Fifth story 51:24 Ad 58:26 Sixth story 1:00:08 Seveth story 1:14:50

I am so pissed about the pregnant sister in law! The mother had a stroke and nobody cared from the “better” side of the family! Wtf! This is huge!

I think its unwise that we keep perpetuating the notion that victims owe anything to their abusers. She didn't owe him anything after all of the years of abuse he put her through. Sure, maybe it can be seen as cold-hearted, but justly deserved. She has been decent enough to co-parent with him for the sake of her children, why should she be expected to comfort the man that brought her such pain?

The dad in the last story is THE ABSOLUTE WORST human being ever. I am beyond disgusted.

The one about the MIL who had a stroke at the baby shower, it sounds to me like the wife was looking for a way to oust the husband’s family for a loooooong time and just jumped on this opportunity to do it. There’s no way she got that offended about missing her baby shower for a medical emergency. She saw her opening to be angry and force that side of the family out and she took it.

The mother is under the impression that her son will side with her by default because "hubby is breaking up the family" but not condemn her for having an affair that drove her husband to leave in the first place

"People with dark humor always have the worst jokes" Hot Take: Dark humor isn't bad- People who feel the need to repeatedly proclaim their dark sense of humor don't actually have a dark sense of humor, they just find it amusing to say offensive and horrible things to see the look on their faces.

My therapist says boundaries can't control other people, they are only about how you will act in a given situation.

On your conversation about narcissist’s, i think the term “self centred” is typically more accurate since it is not used in a clinical setting.

Definitely a harsh take on the second story. As someone who has many addicts in my life, predominantly my mother, it is HEART BREAKING to seem them do better and be better for someone else. I have always said that my mother brings out a side of me that no one else sees. I get volatile and cruel, but she made me that way. I imagine it is the same for the woman in the second story. To be called by someone who caused you trauma and heartbreak and for them to ask for comfort or empathy is such a slap in the face. She's not the asshole, but it could have been handled differently.

It should literally be common sense to not joke about miscarriages or make any comments about infertility…

Wait so the lady in the first story “had one night of “indiscretion”(she cheated right?) and now that the husband wants to leave her because of it and not got to”counseling” then blame him for “tearing the family apart?” Like that shit is 2021-2022 in a bottle

“The silent majority” “the vocal minority” girly sounding like Donald Trump😭😂

Honestly the girl in the second story, I don't think she's an asshole at all I think she's human. She put so much into this relationship and this person she loved only to have to watch him finally be the person she deserved but for someone else. She doesn't even really get to move on from that pain because they have kids together. She has to watch, daily, some other woman effortlessly live the life she probably tore herself apart trying to one day have with him. Honestly I feel for her. I'll add that from a personal perspective the fear of this exact thing happening is what kept me with an abusive addict for a while (and I think it keeps a lot of people in horrible relationships) and if my ex ever expected ANY type of emotional support after the hell he put me though I can promise my reaction would be far more volatile than this. I was lucky enough to be able to completely detach at least. A luxury poor OP here doesn't have.

My mum had cancer (She passed away) my parents were married for 38 years. My mum joked to my dad if you want to trade me in now you should. Because she joked when she was 50 about him trading her in for two 25 years olds. She was now 57 and asking dad is he wanted to leave her. His response was "That's crazy I would never trade you in if anything I love you even more for what you have to go through." bless my parents. Miss you Mum 💖

The fact that he abused her, stole money from her, and refused to drive her anywhere when her grandma died while supporting him through a meth addiction makes me not feel any sympathy for him. After everything he’s put her through he has some nerve dumping his problems on her like that. Why should she comfort him when he couldn’t give her that same respect when her grandmother died? The VICTIM should not be blamed for not being there for her ABUSER. Morgan and Lauren’s take on this really disappointed me😕

The pregnant lady is acting like her mother in law had a stroke on purpose.

You can tell you guys have never been in a relationship with an addict, nor shared children with someone. She was a bit of an Ahole because she was going off on how mad she was. But honestly, he had no right calling her for support at that moment. Call your mom, call your best mate. Tell her it’s a bad time and you’ll call back later. He was blabbering about something that didn’t impact her and was expecting her to feel the same, without regard for her feelings. So she also had no regard for his feelings. She could have just said we will talk later. But I don’t think she had to offer him any emotional support.

I’m getting creepy ‘I have a crush on my friend and using my donation for her baby is the closest I’ll get to sleeping with her’ vibes from the third story

Ummm for the second story, did you guys miss out on the part where HE wasn’t there for HER? When her family member was at risk to die, but she’s automatically supposed to be there for HER ABUSER. I love this podcast but this take was totally not it. She didn’t owe him sh*t in my opinion. Also, if she needed to put all her feelings away and support him, where was he? Why didn’t he support her? This take was totally off base for me, he manipulated and abused her and then decided to basically rub it in her face that he got better for another woman, and expected her to be there and listen to him? Heck no I would’ve hung up immediately as well.

The first baby shower story reminds me of when my uncle got married. At the time my grandfather had been suffering with Alzheimer’s for a number of years and was very sick, he actually ended up passing away on the day of the wedding, the family found out at the reception afterwards and understandably they were all very upset. My uncle’s wife took it upon herself to feel personally victimised by this event and said that my grandfather chose that day to die “on purpose” to ruin her wedding. This was 25 years ago and they are still married which is something I will never understand, it has caused a lot of tension in the family and has really driven a rift between my mother and her brother and between me and my cousins.

I wanna hear an episode about roommates ahhh I’m currently in an abusive relationship with my college roommate and feel as though it needs to be talked about more :/

I don't think the baby mama of the school pics story handled the phone call well, BUT why should she be her abuser's emotional support system? It sounded like she has a trauma bond to him and is confusing it with love. But, from y'alls take, it sounded like you wanted her to be there for him when he litterally was an asshole to her for YEARS. For him to even have access to her is her being a saint.

I feel awful for the son in hospice. If my mother explained that the way she did in the post, I would spend the last days of my life thinking it was my fault, and that my dying split up my family.

For the story with the ex fiancé with dying wife, I’m sorry, it’s understandable why she reacted the way she did. She wasn’t right, but this man hurt her and expected empathy when he gave her little. They’re both very petty people. Imagine saying that sort of thing to your ex fiancé while you verbally and emotionally abused, that someone else was your reason for being.

With that mother daughter one, Morgan mentioned how at 13 we start rebelling from our parents. it’s funny because I grew up CONSTANTLY fighting my mom as a child. I had NO relationship with either of my parents until my freshman year when I realized how lonely and isolated I was. I had absolutely no friends. My brother was a stranger to me. And I rarely ever said hi or bye to my parents. I was fourteen and remember just slowly taking steps to talk to my mom more because once my depression, anxiety, and ED started, she was the only one helping me get out of bed each morning. The only one softly and silently taking care of me when I’d cry myself to sleep. After all the fighting and me thinking she probably resented having a girl, she was the only one stoically laying at my side. It’s like even after all the times I told her I wish I wasn’t born or that I hated her, she still fought for me. Even now it makes my heart squeeze lol I’m 22 now and my mom and I are pretty inseparable and I actually talk to my dad a lot too. I just thought it was funny/sweet how I kind of went backwards haha

Never has an episode of THT ever given me anxiety and me so sick to my stomach like this one did. It’s scary to believe that people like these actually exist in this world.

There was a before and after in Lauren’s life when she found out about ✨Dula Peep✨

People are always entitled to their feelings but there is a time, place and person to share them. You are not entitled to make your feelings someone else responsibility to solve for you.

Never cried watching a THT episode until the last story, that left me here bawling .. I sincerely hope one day he will suffer and find his loved ones "disgusted" of him, absolutely heartbreaking 💔😞

I’m making a new comment: My aunt passed of breast cancer, my uncle at the time stood by her side, through it all- when she lost her hair, when she had to get her chest removed the rough it all- the RAGE I’m feeling at this man, I can’t just- not picture my aunt? She was a strong women, beautiful and amazing- his wife will be better off without him,

The dying son/cheating mom story… does this lady not realize that the husband could pretend to stay to spare his son and then divorce her immediately after he dies?! This ultimatum doesn’t even make sense.

I love it when Morgan shares her medical knowledge, she’s so smart

Can you do a whole episode on emotional incest stories??

The pallet cleanser at the end where they explained ordering at subway literally made me cry. I relate to that level of anxiety and it’s beyond helpful to have a description of how something will go, or have someone else show you first- like watching my parents order subway or drop something off at the post office- before I do it on my own.

in the sperm donor one i feel like her friend has some creepy thing for her because i just dont understand why else he would orchestrate this situation the way he did... like it was his idea, he kept it secret from the wife, then played dumb... im sry but no one is that dumb

The last story made me sick to my stomach. My mom had breast cancer, a mastectomy, and to this day she feels ‘gross’ and like nobody could ever love or be attracted to her. She has an awful husband who before the cancer said he ‘just wasn’t attracted to her’ because she’s overweight. My mom is absolutely beautiful and the most incredible, strong woman I have ever met and it is my dream that she finds a person who adores and loves her the way she deserves. I truly hope the woman and child in the last story are able to find someone who loves them like that as well beyond physicality. I truly believe that if something like this makes you lose interest in someone, you never loved them to begin with. Love conquers all and it breaks my heart to know that people like this man exist. Literally just fuck that guy on every level I hope he burns in hell before he says a word to her. I also do NOT think he should tell her his ‘truth’ because it would be devastating to know you married such a shallow, despicable human. I’m so angry lol this hit close to home.

Oh my god the whiplash Lauren went through on the last story was the exact same as mine when I first read that story.

The quote you guys read about mothers being looked down upon by father and daughter - I can truly attest to this. I had a father that successfully brainwashed (some would classify him as a narcissist *I use that word tentatively due to the lack of diagnosis*) me into that mentality. We often acted just as described. Things have changed drastically since then. But that was scary accurate.

Rule of thumb for dark humor: only make the joke if it is clearly about yourself as a way to cope with your own trauma. Otherwise you’re the AH.

Speaking to the section on boundaries,my understanding (and I’m not a therapist, just somehow who goes to therapy) is that boundaries can be boiled down to two pieces. One is what you are or aren’t willing to tolerate and two is how you’re going to react to it. You can decide “if you talk to me in a way that hurts my feelings, I’m going to leave” or “if you’re going to continue doing this thing that hurts me, I don’t want to spend time with you”. It’s a way to protect yourself from harm. Feels like lately people have been throwing the term around to get or do whatever they want which isn’t reasonable.

I watched my mom die from cancer, I can't even imagine looking at someone you love suffer and all you can feel is disgust. That man never truly loved his partner. My mom and dad were divorced for years before she was diagnosed and he still cared for her and cried by her side throughout it all. That guy is actually evil.

Story 4 - sounds like the sister better start "setting a boundary" with her lazy ass brother by ripping him a new one for starts. Who TF lets their WIFE talk to their SISTER AND MOTHER AND FATHER like that when their Mother had a stroke?!?!?!!!!

LMAO the update from the first story is too hilarious. "The silent majority who didn't vote"

The ex that was the addict. I don’t think OP is in love with him and I don’t think she’s the asshole. Doesn’t sound like love but a whole lot of resentment. It’s not her responsibility to assure her abuser. She said that he was verbally abusive and would steal from her. She owes him nothing, she would’ve been a very strong person to comfort him in that moment and despite her not doing so she’s still strong for co parenting with him. He is not entitled to a think from her.

For the last story… if god forbid his wife doesn’t beat her cancer and passed away, and he chose not to be in his daughters life, what would happen to her? This feels just like the “in happiness” instead of “in sickness and health” vows story and makes me feel ill.

Morgan and Lauren not understanding the origins of the Dua Lipa / Elton John song 🤯 😂

can’t wait for this lol first time ever catching a premiere and I’ve been listening since like ep 10 after I heard Morgan’s voice in tiktok haha

As someone who suffers from hair loss and has since the age of 4, the last story really hits home. I don’t have cancer, so my situation is not nearly as bad… but men like the man in the last story are the reason why I have trust issues in relationships. My bf says he loves my bald head and that it doesn’t change his attraction to me, but I always have that doubt in my head… that no one is going to find me attractive because of it…

On the second story. Its really important to remember that it is extremely damaging to echo the narrative that you both chose. We do not owe anyone anything. We can choose to show empathy and understanding to people but it is not required simply because we have a past with someone. This mindset makes it very hard for people, especially empathetic people to draw boundaries. That being said, bringing up the photos was a bit petty. But so was her ex for going on about his gf being his soulmate. And thee reality is we do not get to choose how people react when we hurt them.

I love Lauren as a co-host! She’s always so sweet and knows how to explain her train of thoughts with simple words, so it’s easy to understand (especially for someone like me, who doesn’t have english as their first language). It’s always so pleasant! 💕

the “boundary” story i was like YELLING at my tv. the way my therapist describes boundaries is how you build your relationships with others. it’s not a punishment. also lauren was spot on boundaries are not beyond critical thought lol but like using a boundary to control another persons behavior is by definition not a boundary

As for 2nd story, all I have to say is: you don’t get to ask for the best of me when you made the worst of me. I couldn’t imagine the head space he put her in when he called her like that. Reminding her of the nights when he called her in the same tone of voice begging her to come pick him up or help him or take him back. Or using that same tone to manipulate her into believing that he’ll get better time and time again because he loved her with no avail or how he might of convinced her that all the bad in is life is her fault. I mean I can go on and on and on but the point is asking a person of abuse to respond with grace and “put her shit to the side” in a moment with the same abuser who is basically asking her AGAIN to be there for him no matter how she feels, is RIDICULOUS. She responded the only way she knew how. Anyone who blames her for that is way out of their mind.

2nd story: Honestly, it’s rightfully so that OP feels the way she does. I personally don’t think she’s an asshole, and her bitterness is valid. If I were her, I would cut Pete off completely. Her mental health is obviously very damaged and she’s gone through so much. It’s not healthy at all. Imagine putting in 7 years for someone abusive and on drugs plus two children with him just for him to get better for someone else? It’s no surprise that she would be bitter. I’ve been through relationships where guys didn’t appreciate nor gave me the time of day until they moved on to their next girlfriend, and that’s when they changed and gave them everything. Sadly, women could give men everything in the world, and he still wouldn’t be happy unless you’re the woman he wants. Unfortunately at the end of the day, if he wanted to he would.

“I want to give him the benefit of the doubt that he’s just stupid” 😂😂😂 lol at that being the best case scenario

As someone who has watched my mother have many strokes and more, if my SIL said something like that, let's just say all my nice would go out the window

The baby shower story resonated WAY too hard with me! Long story ahead, but TL:DR my ex was assaulted, and his twin sister didn't give a shit, and his mom put him in potential danger. Many years ago, I was attending my ex's sister's bachelorette party. It was an okay time, and we partied hard and had quite a bonding experience. On my home, however, I get a call from the hospital that my ex (who had been to a normal house party with friends) had been assaulted by some strangers on the way home and was receiving emergency treatment. I quickly get off the bus I was on and hail a taxi to get there quickly. On the way I call the sister in a panic and tell her that her TWIN BROTHER was in the ER after being assaulted, and that I was on the way to the hospital. Her response was just: "Why would you call me about this and ruin the memory of my bachelorette party?" I was shocked, and even asked if she wasn't going to go to the hospital, and all she said was that she was almost home, and that she would tell their mom about it later. My ex was a grown man of 25 at the time, and was not a fighter or a troublemaker, and would avoid confrontation whenever possible. So for the family to be so cold at hearing news like this surprised me a lot. When I got to the ER, they ushered me into the room where my ex was flailing about due to alcohol from the party and having severe head trauma from several kicks to the head. Luckily he recognised me, and it made the doctors and nurses visible relieved that at least some of his memory was intact. But they would need to keep him there for observation - and I couldn't stay the night there. So the next day I arrive as soon as visiting hours open, and his family are nowhere in sight. MY MOM however arrived later, and we talked to the doctors about everything together. He had a severe concussion and lacerations all over his face and head, and would need a lot of rest and attention (should his symptoms worsen). We agreed together with my ex that he should stay in the hospital for as long as necessary. HOWEVER, the very next day I get a call from my ex saying his mom had picked him up from the hospital and had insisted on taking care of him at her house. This was shocking, even to my ex, because it was against doctor's orders and he had made it very clear he wanted to recuperate in HIS apartment, with MY help. Also, she had no prior medical experience that would warrant her being a similar or better caregiver than the hospital staff. (And to top it off, we live in a country with universal healthcare, so there was NO financial incentive to take him out of the hospital early.) Fast forward to a few days after this, I get a slightly panicked call from my ex saying that his mom was being weird, and not treating him like a patient, and was expecting him to run around the house and do chores etc., and was not following the many guidelines given by the doctors. So together with my mom we hatched a covert operation to go get him from his mom's house while she was out. It was almost like rescuing a hostage. It was actually a bit terrifying. My mom was incredibly furious that another mom would treat their injured child this way, and even mentioned that if she tried or said anything there could be legal ramifications, as what had transpired was borderline abuse/endangerment of a compromised individual (as my ex was not in the mental or physical state to make decisions for himself the day his mom took him from the hospital, and his mom had not lived up to the responsibility of being his caregiver). Luckily my ex made a full recovery, BUT his family never mentioned the incident again. Even at his sister's wedding, when they were all gathered, no one talked about it. Not even a mention of his recovery. It was like they just wanted to shove it under a rug and pretend like it never happened. I still feel sorry for my ex to this day. He was a bit of an asshole at the end of our relationship (hence why he's an ex), but no one deserves to be treated like this by their won family. It was like his health didn't matter, and him being assaulted was an inconvenience to them.

The first story is definitely self preservation. It's the fact she knows her son is going to die and as soon as that happens, her husband is going to leave too.

The 15 year old who was dismissive of her crying mom - as a girl (now adult woman) with a mother who was also 22 when she had me, who through most of my life have treated me more like a friend than her child, and has cried on my shoulder about all kinds of things, including men, I can only say that you both are absolutely in the wrong here! A parent being vulnerable and showing their emotions to their kids is absolutely a good thing, however bringing your kids into your relationship on this level and using them as a confidant and a shoulder to lean on is overstepping the boundaries of the parent/child relationship and the mother should speak to her (asshole) husband and/or an actual friend about it instead. The mother is kind of forcing her daughter to pick a side between her own parents, and it's not cool. This may be my personal history talking, but I assume that this is not the first time that this 15 year old has had to act like a parent to her own mother, and she has finally gotten sick of it and confident enough to speak her mind and put her foot down. I did the same in about that age, and after having put up with it for so long I had some built up resentment towards her that could be seen in the snarky responses I would sometimes give in situations where I previously would have complied and sacrificed a part of myself in order to keep her happy ('cause god knows she would've been mad if I didn't give her the answers she wanted).

The second story. I think she did the right thing for herself by hanging up on him. She is not his friend or therapist.This man wasn’t just an addict. He was her abuser too and he still is one by his reaction. Am sorry for his wife but to hear those words must’ve been soul crushing to her. Not because of lingering feelings but for the confirmation that you waisted your precious years dealing with his abuse by not leaving sooner.

That last story breaks my heart, she's going through one of the most difficult forms of illness and he wants to leave because she's "ugly" to him AND then to add the fact he may want to leave his child? He definitely was 100% okay until she lost her hair. Honestly what a prick. Some people have such a lack of awareness for the fortunate life they live that there only worry is if they should divorce their sick wife because they're unattractive and then potentially want to leave their child, to live in that ignorance must be bliss. I hope he leaves her and that she meets someone 100000 times better to spend her life with.

Ok I totally disagree on the ex one. She did not have a responsibility to talk to her ex on the phone about his partners surgery. Not her job.

About the brother not reacting about their mothers stroke, that’s exactly what happened to my fiancé when his dad had a stroke a few years back. If it wasn’t for me telling him we needed to go visit his dad he wouldn’t have done it. Now his dads prognosis was really, really bad and they weren’t sure he’d survive the night, and after that they weren’t sure he make the surgery, and after that the recovery. (He did, his alive and well now) But my fiancé just shut down, he was repeating “nah, I don’t think we need to go”. But it was just shock, and when we got to the hospital and visited his dad and got to talk to the doctors and get a better picture of the situation he was so grateful for getting there. He kept saying “what if he died and I wasn’t here?!”. So if the brother is in shock and having an unsupportive wife saying stuff like “we don’t need to talk to them, everything is fine, they treated us bad” it’s possible he’s just going with that just because he’s confused/shocked. Or he’s a full blown asshole🤷🏼‍♀️

I love Lee, he does a great job educating people on narcissistic personality disorder.

The talk with narcissism and if it's a 'bad word' is tricky. You can be narcissistic without being a narcissist. You can be depressed without having depression (as a diagnosable illness).

I don't have a significant other, though I am a single mom of 2 boys (12 & 8), but the last story got me. I was just recently diagnosed with dcis breast cancer in December. I'm only 37, & just lost my mom to the same demon back this past April too. I will be having a mastectomy in a month, though hopefully won't have to have radiation or chemo. I love you girls. You're so genuine, & I love how I can see that from your responses. You're podcasts have been getting me through these dark, hard days & I wanted you to know that. I love you girls, you're beautiful inside & out!! 💓🩷💗🫶🏻

hi morgan you probably won’t see this, but THT has changed my mindset on so many things! i am a very closed off person and have trouble getting close to others, but watching you, your group of friends, boyfriend and family inspires me and makes me want to put myself out there to create new friendships and get closer to others. i always enjoy listening to the podcast and hearing your guys takes!! keep it up

If it were me in that Baby Shower story, I’d be sending sister-in-law an invoice for every expense I had putting that shower on. If she doesn’t see me as family, she doesn’t get family treatment.

this is gonna sound so weird, but Lauren's sounds of agreement were so soothing to me

So for the breast cancer story actually reminds me of my aunt. A Couple years ago she got breast cancer and her husband ended up leaving her because he said it was too hard for him.. literally in the peak of her treatment when she needed him the most. of course this caused the family to hate him because she was devastated and went through a really big depression. he ended up getting with another woman where he said he was finally happy. Then with sweet irony he in turn gets testicular cancer , the woman he's with ends up leaving him and he came crawling back to my aunt. Unfortunately they got married again in secret and she chose to stick by his side even though he didn't stick by hers we found out months after they already got married at a family event when he showed up and we are all shocked. I love my aunt so much and I just wish she found someone who didn't leave her when she was so vulnerable but she loves him and says that they are doing well. She has and always will be his support while he has never truly been hers

Hear me out, the IVF situation, he’s in love with her and liked the idea of having a child with her even if unconventional.

I’m so glad you spoke on narcissistic tendencies and that not everyone is a narcissist. I feel everyone is throwing that word around and they don’t even know what it means.

2nd Story: Both OP and ex abuser are assholes in this situation. OP could haven handled it differently yes, but did he deserve any empathy from her? Hell no. I’d call it justified asshole in this situation on OP’s part, but the new wife going through a hard time isn’t any of her business, because OP was abused in the past and that hasn’t changed. He may have gone through rehab and changed his life for the future, but that doesn’t magically take away everything he did in the past and it never will. Edit: I’m not saying that addicts can’t be forgiven for how they’ve affected people, or that this is always the case, but I’d never ask my friend to play nice with her abuser for his mental health, when he has already damaged hers an ungodly amount.

Coming from someone who was married to a drug addict for 7 years I can totally feel how the OP feels. Not over school photos. That’s ridiculous but her feelings in general are totally understandable

For the 3rd story imagine if the wife didn’t want anymore kids or was having fertility issues? That would literally make it a million times worse that he didn’t consult his wife before going through ivf with his friend

the mom telling her dying child of her affair and the consequences reminds me so heavily of someone I know, that I believe to be a narcissist. Anytime they cheat or mess up, when they're facing the consequences of their partner being upset with them, they go right to their young child and complain about how awful and mean their partner/parent is to them 🙄

The 3rd story sounds like he might have had other feeling for OP, but couldn’t do anything because of her sexuality so this was his way of having his ideal life without actually doing anything. He knew his wife would say no, which is why he didn’t ask.

Second story: I disagree screw the drug addicted ex he emotionally abused her. Don't blame the victim

EDIT: I misheard! She called him first. Still weird that he started going on about the love of his life, but people do weird things in emergencies. She should have handled it differently. This might be unpopular, but I fall more towards ESH for the story about the guy who’s girlfriend was in emergency surgery. The way OP handled the phone call was wrong, but why was he calling her in the first place. It sounds like he had a support system in place and on the way, he couldn’t talk to one of them on the phone until they got there. Or literally anyone else in his life. It doesn’t seem like they were on friendly terms. In both your stories you were on friendly terms and even still one of the guys thought it was weird and stopped you. He shouldn’t have called her and put in her in that position. She shouldn’t have responded in that way. Both sides handled it wrong.

*Interesting* that the cheater doesn’t tell her “Adult son” that should “know the truth” what’s happening in life unless it benefits her? Evil at its core 🤦🏻‍♀️

1st story ; if she wants to tell her son the dad is divorcing her , then make sure to tell him WHY🤷🏽‍♀️

Disagree on the second story regarding the mistress in crisis: Especially when you guys are typically pretty fair when it comes to acknowledging cheating is a harmful choice, and those who are on the other end are entitled (loosely) to their reactions. If someone I intended to MARRY cheated on me, and then called me to cry about the woman HE cheated ON ME with? I certainly would not want to hear that conversation. However, given the context of the situation and my personal opinion, I definitely wouldn’t have reacted that way either. I would have removed myself from the situation, “I’m sorry to hear that but I’m not personally comfortable speaking about this with you, can we talk when you’re not in crisis?” If he asks for support, I might lend a hand depending on who needs support (him vs the woman) and what he needs. No one is an expert though and I imagine there’s a LOT of emotion going into OP’s perspective. But I would generally be a little more sympathetic towards her, but I also understand where you guys were coming from.

BRO THE LAST ONE? IF HE THINKS HE HAS IT HARD IMAGINE HOW THE WIFE FEELS 😭😭

you guys r very wrong about the second story. she loved him and he mistreated her over and over and over and wasn't there for her when she needed him. now she has to watch him be better for someone else and probably feels like he thinks that she wasn't worth him trying to get better. yes he was going through a hard time but she cannot be expected to be there for him when he abused her for years. she's nta she just has boundaries.

For story two, she doesn’t owe him anything but details she focused on in the post made it seem like she was ignoring him based on petty emotions and he said she said when really it was her abuser and that’s a totally valid reason to ignore him. I don’t blame her for the way she wrote it, I imagine it’s really triggering and very frazzling to be contacted in that way and it becomes hard to organize your thoughts surrounding the events

Great topic choice, I have a feeling I know a few of the stories you're gonna pick for this!

That last story is the definition of "throw the whole man away."

Please never stop making these

I think the abuse part in the second story was completely overlooked.

With the mother in law having a stroke story, I had something similar but kind of opposite. I posted a gender announcement for my twins. And I forgot to tag my mother in law within a couple minutes (I tagged her as soon as I noticed… pregnancy brain) and my sister in law took my picture and reposted it and claimed I left her mother out of everything and just spiraled into this horrible thing. They turned into this huge thing over a tag on Facebook

Calling someone a dirty toenail is my favorite appropriate insult 😄

“I want her to understand that it isn’t because she’s a bad person” No OP, you are a bad person

That last story…. I wish that man the worst. She gon survive and thrive with her daughter and I hope she never lets that fool back in their lives again because mark my words he will regret it and try to come back and I hope he never gets a chance to be blessed by their presence ever again and I hope all the disgusting words he wrote replays in his mind and makes him sick til his last pathetic dying breath….. love when the trash takes itself out

Life saving info regarding strokes. Very nice. Also medications administered quickly can prevent some brain cell death, I read or heard somewhere.

The last story omg. I was so shocked & i even gasped several times together with Lauren