00:00Am I the asshole for not letting my brother see his kids on Christmas?
00:04I, 35F, have custody of my brothers, 40M, two children, ages 6 and 8.
00:12My brother has had substance abuse issues for years, and after a particularly bad incident,
00:17he lost custody of his kids. I've been taking care of them for the past two years,
00:22and they are thriving in a stable environment. This Christmas, my brother asked if he could
00:28spend the day with his kids. He claims to be clean and sober now, but he has made these promises
00:33before and relapsed every time. The last time I let him see them, he showed up late and under the
00:41influence, which was traumatic for the kids. I told him no, explaining that until he can
00:47demonstrate consistent, long-term sobriety and attend counseling, I won't risk putting the kids
00:53through that again. He exploded, calling me heartless and saying that I'm keeping his
00:58children away from him for no reason. Our parents are siding with him, saying that Christmas is about
01:04family and forgiveness, and that I should give him another chance. I feel terrible, especially since
01:11the kids miss their dad, but I believe protecting them from potential harm is more important than one
01:17day of seeing him. So, Reddit, am I the asshole for not letting my brother see his kids on Christmas?
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