In a quiet suburban home, a devoted mother grappled with a heartbreaking dilemma. Her boyfriend’s 12-year-old son continued to terrify their three-month-old daughter deliberately. Despite heartfelt pleas and warnings, the unsettling behavior persisted, pushing the mother to a breaking point.

On January 11, 2024, an anonymous female contributor turned to the “AITAH” subreddit to share her troubling experience. Having been diagnosed with postpartum depression (PPD), she questioned its impact on her actions.

The Original Poster (OP) had been in a relationship with her boyfriend for six years. He also had a 12-year-old son, Jake, and together, they had been living with OP for the past two years. OP, who had owned her residence for nearly a decade, faced a distressing issue concerning Jake’s behavior toward their three-month-old daughter.

Despite Jake’s apparent affection for his sister, an alarming pattern emerged when he deliberately scared the infant. Jake would approach the baby, loudly exclaiming, “RA!” and finding amusement in her startled reflexes. His laughter would follow, accompanied by disingenuous apologies, claiming he didn’t mean to scare her.

This disturbing routine repeated at least four times daily, prompting OP to seek advice from the online community, torn between her concerns, the potential influence of PPD, and her desire for a resolution