Am I wrong for not moving back in with my dad just because he got divorced?
My mom passed when I (16F) was a baby. My aunt, who’s my mom’s sister, stepped up and basically became a second parent to me. When I was 8, she moved away for work. After that, I went from seeing her every day to visiting her 1-2 times a month, plus a week during winter break, spring break, and splitting summers 50/50. When I was 12, my dad married Judy. They kept insisting she was my “new mom” and that I didn’t need to keep visiting my aunt anymore because I had Judy now.
Not long after, my dad gave my bedroom to Judy’s kids since it was bigger. I refused to share a room. Around the same time, they told my aunt I couldn’t fly alone anymore, so if she wanted to see me she’d have to either fly out to get me or drive all day there and back. A few months after the wedding, I chose to move in with my aunt. It was pretty clear my dad was more focused on his new family than on me.
Now my dad and Judy are divorcing because she cheated, and he found out the younger kids aren’t biologically his. He called and asked me to move back home, saying he misses me and that he doesn’t have anyone left. I told him no. I’m happy where I am. My aunt has been a much better parent to me than my dad was. She’s also seeing someone who comes over on weekends and cooks amazing burgers and steaks, and he restores cars as a hobby, so he’s even fixing one up for me.
I love my school, I have solid friends here, and we’re close to several great colleges, so I may not even need to move far for school. My dad and his side of the family are upset that I won’t come back. They say he’s my father and he needs me right now. But he’s the one who prioritized his new family over me, and their divorce isn’t something I need to fix. I don’t plan on changing my mind, but does refusing to move back make me wrong?
