WIBTA for not allowing my dad to walk me down the aisle?
Background story (with current ages):
My dad (65M) hasn’t always been the best. He’s cheated on my mom (70F) with multiple women before and after I (28F) was born. He mistreated and abused my older half-brother (38M) who is from my mom’s previous marriage. He berated and stonewalled my mom for most of my life until she was diagnosed with cancer which brought them back together after almost a decade of no contact. The best thing he’s done for the family is support us financially.
With me, we have almost no relationship outside of talking about common interests or typical parent-to-child advice. He lived across the world for most of my life and we talked less and less as I grew up. My conceptualization of him is that he doesn’t know how to have adult relationships outside of ones that give him a sense of superiority. (Big assumption I know, but he never says anything that reveals his true thoughts and feelings.)
Current issue:
I’ve been thinking about my future wedding as I’m planning to be engaged this year to a man I love very much. And my first thought was “I don’t want my dad walking me down when he’s barely been a dad.”
I come from a culture where we are taught “family is family” and to care about “what the neighbors would think.” Regardless of what I truly want, I have to think of my family’s peace. So I worry that having my brother walk me down the aisle instead of my father will cause some unrest with my family. And when I imagine some of the conversations, I wonder if it’s better to begrudgingly accept my dad to walk me down.
EDIT: I forgot to mention that since my dad was mostly absent and my brother was my main father figure, I would prefer him walk me down the aisle.
EDIT 2: I just want to provide a counter argument to the unanimous NTA of why I think I still might be the asshole.
All the events I described in backstory happened in the past. The worst of it happened 30 years ago and we’re all trying to move past it as a family. My mom also taught me to see the good in everyone, and I genuinely see my dad as a misunderstood man-child that simply doesn’t know how to connect with people. And that makes me sympathize with him. I hear what the resounding final judgment is, but a part of me still feels like it’s a right to let him walk me down the aisle. Partially because of that, partially because I also know I’m not good at forgiving people.
Posted Jan 4, 2023, 6:24 PM UTC · edited