He Told His Brother Not to Call Himself a “Dog Dad”. Did He Act Like a Jerk?

How dare you call yourself that!

I have a feeling that once you dig into this story on Reddit’s “Am I the A**hole?” page, you’re gonna be scratching your head a little bit…

See for yourself if you think this guy acted like a jerk in regard to what he said to his brother…

AITA for telling my brother that he shouldn’t call himself a dog dad?

“I (30M) am the father to two children, my son, who is 5, and my daughter, who is 1.

I’ve worked hard to bring up my kids, since it has involved juggling my career, bills, rent and mortgage payments as well as all the other expenses that come with being an adult, all the while raising my children. Needless to say, it hasn’t been easy, so I am proud of the fact that I have two happy, healthy children.

My brother is 23, and has said that having children isn’t a priority in his life, and “if it happens, it happens.” His reason for this is that he wants to be able to travel, enjoy his career, and be able to have the option to do things spontaneously, which I don’t have a problem with. He also has an English Bulldog puppy, which he got from a breeder, something that I disagree with, but I can’t tell him how to live his life.

Which brings me to the issue. Despite not having kids, my brother constantly jokes about how him and his boyfriend are “parents” to their dog. Their friends even go as far to send them “dog dad” cards on fathers day.

After raising my children, I find it rude when he refers to himself as a “dad” when owning a dog isn’t nearly as hard as raising two children. I brought this up to him, and he defended himself by saying that him calling himself a “dog dad” isn’t hurting anyone.

I told him that this isn’t the case, since there’s people who can’t have children, poor people who struggle to raise children etc. who will likely be very hurt by him and his partners comments. They both haven’t spoken to me since.

Am I missing something? I know I could have made my point in a less direct way, but surely calling yourself a “dog parent” isn’t something that should be normalised?

AITA?”

And here’s what readers on Reddit had to say.

This person said this guy is indeed an a**hole and that he sounds bitter.