'AITA for not buying extra school supplies for my son to share with his step siblings?'

"AITA for not buying for or making my son share school supplies with his step and half siblings?"

Luciluns writes:

I have one son who is 15. My ex and I broke up when he was 1. My ex is now married to someone else and has three more children as well as two stepchildren. We split custody 50-50 and have always purchased things separately for each house instead of sending items back and forth.

Now my ex and his wife are financially struggling, and they are resentful because I bought my son all new school supplies this year while their other kids had to reuse old ones. At first, I was asked to donate supplies to them in order to “show we’re all one family.”

We are not. We have a child in common, but I am not my ex’s family and he is not mine. This would never be done if the situation were reversed, and when our son was younger my ex was always especially possessive about the things he purchased for him.

When that failed, my ex decided our son should share what he has with the other kids. In response, my son decided not to bring any of his supplies to his dad’s house. He finishes homework at school and leaves everything in his locker for the next day.

My ex told me I should not be okay with this, but I am. It is not my responsibility to buy supplies for children who are not mine, and my son needs his own things. Why should I ask him to give away what he requires? I asked my ex, and he said more could be purchased. I told him that would be the same as making me buy supplies for his other kids, and I said that will never happen.

My ex’s wife told me I am a selfish c*^t and that I am making her kids feel terrible when they see my son with everything shiny and new while they do not. I told her that was for her and my ex to figure out, not me. My ex then said I was teaching our son not to help family and that I was being spiteful toward children.

I asked him if he would be so willing to help a child I had after him, and he told me it was different because men always have to pay child support. I asked why his stepkids don’t receive child support that could have given them money for supplies. At that point, the conversation ended, but they are extremely hostile toward me now. AITA?

Here are some of the responses to OP's post.

IAteAnotherVegan says:

NTA! seriously why isn't she getting child support?

WomanInQuestion says:

NTA - but you ARE helping family. Just not HIS family.

OP responded:

True although to a lesser degree it helps him because it's one less kid to buy school supplies for.

Ok_Homework_7621 says:

Can you document the harassment?

OP responded:

I'm doing that. I have a file and my attorney gets the updated version every time.

What do you think?