Dad Starting to ‘Resent’ 13-Year-Old Son From Wife’s Affair: ‘Looks Nothing Like Me’

A man on Reddit confessed he is struggling to love and raise his 13-year-old son, who is a product of his wife's affair.

He explained that he and his wife were "high school sweethearts," and after the birth of their first child, now 16, his wife had an affair with a co-worker.

"Our schedules were off and we struggled with finding time to be intimate and to actually act like husband and wife. During this period I discovered that she had an ongoing affair with a senior work colleague. We separated briefly, but reconciled. Shortly after we reconciled she told me that she was pregnant. I should note at this point that she at first didn't believe she was pregnant as she had 'gotten her period' during the first 12 weeks of her pregnancy," he wrote.

"Our second baby arrived and as he began to grow I became suspicious of how different he looked to both me and my other son. My wife agreed to a paternity test and, as I thought, the baby was not mine," he continued.

The man decided to stay with his wife and raise the boy as his own, eventually welcoming a third child together. "However, over the years the situation has started to eat away at me for a number of reasons and I'm not sure how much longer I can continue," he shared.

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It's "clear" the couple's middle child is not his, as the young boy looks nothing like him and is almost as tall as him already, considering the man has a "short" build. The dad also believes his son is aware of the truth deep-down, which has resulted in him being "disobedient and disrespectful at times."

"Far more so than his brothers are. We had a heated row recently that resulted in him trying to get physical with me before I de-escalated the situation. This is no worry to me currently (he's only 13 after all) but as he grows could cause problems," the man explained.

"This may be the most unhinged one, so apologies in advance. The boy is good at everything. He is already among the quickest and strongest in his class, he plays for a few sports teams where he excels. He is a talented musician and regularly appears on gifted and talented lists at school. I am regularly told that I should be very proud of 'my son' and the itch is becoming unbearable," he continued.

The man doesn't know how to navigate his growing resentment toward his son.

"I feel tortured on a day-to-day basis by a constant reminder that my wife sought out an affair with a man who is physically superior and more successful than I am. A man who cast her aside and moved on, and now the likelihood is that I am raising his son as my own. I feel like I am losing my mind," he concluded.

READ MORE: Woman Catches Husband ‘Red Handed’ Having Affair With Her Mother

In the comments, Reddit users urged the man to seek out therapy for himself and for his son.

"That kid is going to grow up and take one of those DNA tests and find everything out. His bio-dad is also going to get thrown for a loop at some point in his life. If you haven't told your kid yet, then I would set up a family therapy session to get that out into the open before the resentment really hits a peak (both you and the kid). Based on what you said about your kid's behavior, I bet he already knows something is up," one person wrote.

"Dad needs individual therapy, son needs individual therapy, and the whole family needs therapy together. And the child needs to be told the truth as soon as possible. THERAPY FOR EVERYONE," another chimed in.

"I find it really concerning that you keep referring to him as 'the boy' and treating him like he is a threat. No doubt he has picked up on this as well. Eventually, all of this will come out and your family will be devastated, including all three of your kids. It seems like this should no longer be a secret and you should all be working with a professional to sort through the wreckage," someone else commented.