My 12-year-old had this special “Mother & Son” dinner at his school last week. It’s a big deal, they only do it once a year, and I’d missed the last two because of work emergencies. This time, I made sure I was going. I was so excited to finally have that moment with him.

Then, a few days before the dinner, he tells me his stepmom (my ex’s wife) was planning to go with him. She’s been in his life since he was six, and honestly, she’s a good person. But hearing that still hit like a punch to the gut. I just kind of froze, what could I even say? I tried to tell myself maybe he didn’t mean it that way. Maybe he’d change his mind.

The day came. I showed up early, nervous. When he saw me, his face just fell. He looked so uncomfortable. He walked up and quietly said something like, “Mom, you really came?” I don’t know why, but those words made me cry. I tried to hide it, but I don’t think I was very good at it. The whole day, he was ignoring me, like I wasn’t there.

Later that night, my ex called. I could hear my son crying in the background. Turns out, he didn’t ask his stepmom to come because he wanted her instead of me, he asked her because he thought I’d cancel again, like I had before. He didn’t want to risk being the kid sitting alone, waiting for a parent who might not show.

Now I can’t stop thinking, I’ve spent years killing myself at work to make sure he has everything he needs: a nice home, stability, opportunities. But maybe what he really needed was me, actually, there.
I’m just stuck in this awful guilt spiral.
Bright Side, how do I even start fixing this? How do you rebuild that trust with your kid when you realize you might’ve already let them down in ways you didn’t see?