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His stepfather didn't even ask him.
By Megan Quinn — Last updated on Oct 16, 2023
A 16-year-old boy was left angry and heartbroken after his stepfather turned his childhood bedroom into an at-home gym.
The boy’s stepfather had moved all of the boy’s belongings and bedroom furniture into a smaller room of the house in order to accommodate all of the equipment for the gym.
The boy was furious and called his grandfather, who demanded to his mother and stepfather that his grandson’s room be arranged back to how it was before. Now he's wondering if he should have gone about the situation differently.
The teen claims his stepfather turned his childhood bedroom into a gym without his permission.
Posting his story on the subreddit, r/AITA, the boy asked other people if he was in the wrong for his reaction and calling his grandfather.
The boy started his post by sharing that his 32-year-old stepdad is “a total gym rat.”
“I used to think the guy was cool but now that I know him better, that's his whole personality,” he wrote. He revealed that his stepfather’s obsession with going to the gym has resulted in him constantly being reminded by him to “watch” what he eats and to “lift more,” despite the boy being an avid swimmer who is in great shape.
“I don't think the guy is a step-monster or a bad dude, but he's really oblivious,” the boy wrote.
Since his parents are divorced, the teen shared that he lives with his father for three weeks and then returns to his mother’s house for the remaining week of each month. He added that his mom’s house is his childhood home that is owned by his grandparents.
Aside from the boy’s bedroom, the house has three smaller rooms that are vacant. He says his stepdad wanted to turn one of the empty rooms into an at-home gym.
“My step-dad has been talking about having a home gym for a while and I knew my mom was on board,” the boy wrote.
He assumed that they would one of the vacant rooms for the gym. However, one day when he returned home from his dad’s house, he was shocked to discover that his stepfather and mom had moved all of his stuff into another room so that his stepdad could put his gym in the room.
“I can't begin to describe what I felt, it's not the fact that they shipped me off to one of the little rooms, it's how they went through my stuff and moved my things around with total disregard for my privacy because I had a lot of stuff and somewhere in boxes with little to no care if they're fragile or not,” the boy wrote.
“Yeah, the fact that they kicked me out of my childhood room, the reason? My stepdad said that it was ''cool'' to have an en-suite in HIS gym.”
Frustrated, the boy left the house and took off to a nearby park, where he called his grandfather and told him what his mother and stepfather had done. His grandfather drove to the house to reprimand the two since they never asked the boy’s permission to move his bedroom and turn it into a gym.
He also demanded that the boy’s room be arranged back to how it was, or he would charge them rent. Needless to say, the boy got his room back.
While the boy claimed that his stepfather was “chill” about the situation, his mother was not happy with how he reacted.
“My mom is MAD because I called my grandad (and because he basically chose my comfort over hers??)” the boy wrote. “She said I'm here ONE week and I could've put my [expletive] in the new room.”
People sided with the boy and validated his reaction.
“You don't trade someone's personal stuff without asking him. Your mother and stepdad could have said something to you before moving your things,” one person pointed out. “And, the question of moving your room should have been an absolute no. Mothers should always have their kids' backs. She should never have put her husband's wants over her son's right to feel secure.”
“It is YOUR room. Obviously, they knew you wouldn’t be okay with it as they didn’t ask you first. You have every right to be mad and talk to your granddad about it,” another shared.
“Sorry, that really sucks. They basically said your feelings, your belongings, don't mean anything. I can't believe they didn't even talk to you about it. Completely understand why you don't spend more time there,” said another.
In this tough situation, the boy's feelings are front and center. His stepdad turning his childhood room into a gym without asking upset him, and it teaches us a big lesson: family means talking and respecting each other's space.
The online community who had his back remind us how important it is to understand and care about a kid's feelings. When things get messy in families, what really matters is making sure everyone feels safe and valued. It's not just about rooms — it's about showing love and respect.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.