AITAH? Ex-Wife called the cops on me after I saved our son from her mistake?

When it comes to managing a child’s type 1 diabetes, every minute counts. For one father, what began as a routine night turned into an alarming test of parental responsibility. Despite four years of experience with his 5‑year‑old son’s Omnipod system, he woke to texts reporting blood sugar levels soaring between 425 and 525 mg/dL—over five times the normal range.

With his ex-wife’s instructions and responses conflicting with established medical training, his concern for their son’s well‑being reached a breaking point. In the aftermath of a harrowing overnight crisis and subsequent emergency intervention, the father now questions whether his actions were justified.

Was he right to take control and stabilize his son’s dangerously high blood sugar, even if it meant clashing with his ex-wife? Or did he escalate a situation that could have been handled differently? This article dissects the incident, reviews expert guidance on managing pediatric diabetes emergencies, and invites you to weigh in on the delicate balance between parental authority and effective co‑parenting in medical decision‑making.

‘AITAH? Ex-Wife called the cops on me after I saved our son from her mistake?’

Expert Opinion

In pediatric diabetes management, prompt and decisive intervention is critical. According to the American Diabetes Association, “sustained hyperglycemia—especially levels exceeding 400 mg/dL—can rapidly increase the risk for diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a potentially life‑threatening complication.

” In cases like this, where blood glucose remains dangerously high for several hours, standard protocols recommend removing a potentially malfunctioning pump, administering a correction dose with rapid‑acting insulin via pen, and closely monitoring the patient until levels normalize.

Dr. David Klonoff, a recognized expert in insulin pump therapy, emphasizes that “the timely use of correction doses is essential for preventing the cascade of complications that can arise from unchecked hyperglycemia.” Although his specific words may vary across interviews and publications, his consensus is clear: adherence to established training and guidelines for insulin pump troubleshooting is paramount.

When one parent is well versed in these protocols and the other deviates from them—whether by neglecting to check for ketones or by administering the wrong type of insulin—it creates an environment where the child’s safety is compromised.

In the scenario at hand, the father’s insistence on following the endocrinologist’s training to remove the malfunctioning pod and administer a rapid‑acting correction dose is supported by clinical standards. When his ex‑wife’s approach deviated from these guidelines by administering long‑acting insulin instead, she not only risked prolonging the period of hyperglycemia but also increased the likelihood of DKA.

While emotions can run high during such stressful events, the clinical priority remains clear: immediate and appropriate insulin correction is non‑negotiable to protect the child’s health. The episode underscores the critical need for both co‑parents to align on medical management strategies, especially in life‑threatening situations.

Discrepancies in understanding or executing diabetes management protocols can have dire consequences. As such, many experts advocate that parents in shared custody arrangements for children with chronic conditions should consider formalizing decision‑making processes through legal or mediated agreements to ensure that both parties adhere to best practices.

Here’s what the community had to contribute:

Here are some hot takes from the Reddit community—candid, spirited, and sometimes laced with humor. [comment block] Many redditors express strong support for the father’s actions, noting that when a child’s life is at risk, any delay in proper intervention is simply unacceptable.

Others point out that while co‑parenting can be challenging, medical management should not be a battleground, and they stress the importance of following medical training and protocols over personal disagreements. The consensus leans toward prioritizing the child’s health above all, with many urging the father to seek formal avenues to ensure consistent future care.

This incident raises a critical question: Should disagreements over emergency medical care in co‑parenting relationships be left to personal negotiation, or do they demand a more structured, legally enforceable framework? While the father’s decisive actions undoubtedly averted potential harm, they also exposed a concerning gap in shared medical decision‑making that could endanger the child in future crises.

What do you think? If you were in this situation, would you take matters into your own hands or seek alternative conflict‑resolution methods? Could a formal custody or medical decision‑making agreement have prevented this clash? Share your thoughts and experiences in the discussion below—your perspective might help other parents navigate these emotionally charged situations while keeping the child’s health as the top priority.