AITA for not encouraging my husband to include 2 of his kids in his will?

My husband and I got married last year and just got around to getting wills and POA done.

My husband has 3 adult children from a previous marriage and when setting up his will he only made provisions for 1 of those children. The other two are mentioned but only to say that he is aware of them and is choosing to not make provisions for them.

Long story short, the divorce was kinda messy and the two kids who still lived at home (minors at the time of divorce, but legal adults now) sided with their mom and cut out their dad. No calls, no visits, not even a happy birthday or Father’s Day text.

He was deeply hurt by this. He loves his kids and tried for a few years to encourage a relationship of some kind with them, but it never worked. They never responded.

The eldest kid was already out of the house by the time the divorce happened and has kept a relationship with both parents. We see them and their spouse on holidays and such.

Anyways, my husband asked me my opinion on this and I told him it’s his will and assets in question and that he should do what he felt was best. I said that he can always update the will later if his relationship with them changes/improves.

I mentioned these events to a few coworkers at lunch and was surprised at the pushback I got. Everyone pretty much said I should encourage him to change the will to include all 3 kids because otherwise it wasn’t “fair”. That was really the only sticking point they had because “they’re still his kids”.

I kind of see their point, if I turn my head and squint, but for my part I feel like this is none of my business. I certainly have no relationship with them that would make me feel like I should intercede for them. I’m not their stepmom. I’m their father’s wife. There’s a difference.

But it did make me think. My parents divorced when I was little and I know what poisoned waters can do to a relationship with a non-custodial parent. I wish sometimes that someone had said something to me that would’ve made that missing relationship better or heal faster so I didn’t lose so much time with that parent. We’re ok now, but that’s a lot of time we won’t get back. And idk how I’d feel if they’d died before we reconnected and I found out I was written out of the will.

So AITA?

PS: Before anyone asks, no. There was no affair. I had nothing to do with the divorce. I’m just the woman that came along afterwards.

Posted Mar 12, 2025, 7:54 PM UTC

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