Dad Spurs Viral Debate After Blaming Ex-Wife for Their Son's Ankle Surgery — and Insisting She Pay for It

Mar. 15, 2025

A boy’s ankle injury has sparked a viral debate.Photo:Getty

Getty

A set of divorced parents are embroiled in a dispute over who should cover their child’s medical expenses.

In aReddit post, the father, usernameRough_Hunter9638, detailed how the situation unfolded when his son, Austin, 16, injured his ankle during a soccer game last month. After the injury, the father said that he took his son to urgent care and then to an orthopedist, who advised six weeks of rest for the ankle.

“Austin was compliant and did nothing but complain about how much it hurt. Miraculously, he suddenly felt better when he got a chance to perform at a school rally. It’s basically a competition between the grades. The juniors were doing aGreaseperformance,” the father wrote in the subreddit AITA.

“I asked my son, ‘How are you going to dance when your ankle is injured?’ He said it felt fine and he’s ‘stretching.’ I spoke to his mom, and she said to let it be. I agreed but told her she’s paying any medical bills, whether she met her deductible or not,” he continued.

A boy reads with a cast on his leg.Getty

The dad went on to say that Austin attended the dance, where he ended up further injuring his foot. He said his son lifted friends up and even carried other people on his shoulders. “He wasn’t even wearing an ankle wrap,” he wrote. “Toward the end he was literally dancing on one foot.”

After picking him up from school, the father shared that he took Austin back to the orthopedist, who said he had not only a grade 3 sprain but also a torn ligament. The doctor suggested surgery if rest and rehab didn’t work.

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“I said we might as well do the surgery,” the father wrote. “I spoke to his mom and told her she needs to provide her insurance information. Yes, our boys have double coverage.”

“Long story short, her insurance is covering 65%, and mine 35%, with a copay of 3k. The bill isn’t issued until after the surgery, which was on Tuesday. I told my ex I’m not paying anything towards the copay. That’s on her. She said it was okay for him to dance after I said no. She said that was not fair. I said too bad. This was all totally preventable,” he added.

“She said I’m obligated to pay half, and I said, take me to court then. It will cost you more to do that.”

Teen with broken foot

Another person suggested going back to the custody agreement and following exactly what it says in terms of medical bills. “That’s the only opinion that matters,” they wrote.

Other Reddit users think it’s fair to have the parents split the cost in half. “Neither of you stood up to the 16-year-old and told him not to do it, or that there would be consequences. So pay up,” they wrote. “Split it 50/50, since it’s both y’all’s fault. Actually, you picked surgery, so make it 55/45 you.”

source: people.com