Taking to Reddit's infamous AITA ("Am I the A--hole") forum, the man shared the story of the specific situation that played out while their shared son was staying with his mother -- before she called OP (a.k.a. "the Original Poster") to share what their child had said.

Rather than call out the son, OP told his ex "you messed up," which made things infinitely worse for him.

As for Reddit, the man got a very mixed reaction once his whole story was out -- and got just as defensive with commenters there as he did his ex-wife.

Read on to see what happened.

The father began his story by explaining that his son Alex, 10, was "a total mama's boy until age 6 when he swung hard into being a daddy's boy." It was around then he and his ex-wife divorced.

"At least around me, my kids are not particularly modest," he added, providing context for later in the story, referring to two additional sons.

Setting up the incident, OP explained that Alex broke his leg last week while he was saying with his father. As such, "I had to help him get into the bath, wash him (I'm afraid he'll fall trying to wash on one foot) and help him dress (just faster if I do it)."

His story continued, "My kids went to their moms yesterday and she called me saying that Alex cussed her out." Saying that Alex is "the sweetest kid in the world" and while he's emotional, it's not "angry emotional," OP asked his ex what happened.

"She casually mentioned she was going to help him take a bath and he told her to get the f--k out of the bathroom," OP shared. "I asked if [he] was naked and she said obviously and he was fighting with her about helping him."

OP then told his ex she "messed up," explaining Alex "doesn't want you in the bathroom when he's in the tub naked let alone you trying to help him."

"She said 'oh so it's my fault?'" OP continued. "I said yes it is your fault. He's 10 not 4. You were quite thoughtless. If he were a girl, then I would ask what [she] was comfortable with and not barge in."

He said his ex suggested taking the Xbox away for a week, asking OP to cooperate as it would extend into his time with the kids. "I said no," he wrote. "If anything you should apologize to him and acknowledge that you messed up. Then he'll apologize for cussing and cry and never do it again."

"She says she can't believe my stance," OP concluded his message, which is what drove him to the forum to ask, "AITA for telling my son's mom that she deserved to be cussed at and should apologize to our son?"

One user didn't hesitate to declare YTA ("You're the A--hole"), stunned that "your 10 year old felt bold enough to use that language around his mother at all?" They also wondered how the boy can get clean without Mom's help.

"You both need to speak to him about the language he uses. It is not necessary to pepper every interaction with 'f--k' and inappropriate to speak to a parent like that for a minor infraction of trying to help him take a bath while he is injured," the commenter concluded.

OP jumped into this one to explain, "He's a 10yo boy. He has no filter. She literally barged into the bathroom. Didn't even have the decency to knock." He explained in another comment that his son first "told her to leave" and that he could do it on his own. It was when she persisted and "said she was going to help wash him" that "he cussed her out."

The father also noted that he suggested alternate ways for his son to clean himself until he got back to OP's house, and in another response noted that he was only there for three days.

Further, OP stated, "I believe in warnings for initial infractions," suggesting that "given the context, my ex responded more out of emotion and embarrassment than logic."

Another commenter told OP in no uncertain terms that her ex "would not have tolerated it even if we didn't get along. He definitely wouldn't have demanded I apologize for anything short of actual harm towards the child if he spoke to me like that. Boys have a filter, but obviously this boy is being encouraged to act this way."

"The decency to knock?" this Redditor marveled. "Seriously?"

OP shot back with a question of his own, asking, "So you'd be fine with your husband walking in on your daughter in the bathroom?" Turns out, this commenter would. "Yeah," she wrote. "He is their father. If they were 14 and they were okay with it then okay as well. They are adults now and they would not cuss out their dad for walking in on them in the bathroom."

This take, though, did not sit well with a lot of Redditors, with several saying they'd definitely have issues with opposite-gender parents barging into the bathroom without knocking.

"Authoritarian a--holes always lose their shit when a child righteously defends themselves against an adult who doesn't see them as a whole person," wrote on. "So many comments are like 'yes the mom was wrong, but you need to make sure your son knows it's inappropriate for him to have bodily autonomy.'"

"These are the same people that have no idea of what consent means," agreed another Redditor.

The exchange can be summed up by the commenter who wrote, "The child in question cannot safely bathe on his own," and the one who responded, "The 'child in question' still gets a say in who can see him naked."

There were plenty that were able to agree the mother should have knocked, but still took issue with the 10-year-old's reaction. "Should she have knocked or be more mindful of his comfort level in that scenario? I think so and he should have communicated that in a way that doesn't include CUSSING HIS MOTHER OUT!" wrote one, saying the punishment in their house would have been a lot more severe.

When OP wouldn't back down and concede that his son shouldn't have reacted the way he did, one commenter wrote, "Your son has every right to feel uncomfortable but the way he spoke probably came from you if you see nothing wrong."

One person accused OP of being a little self-satisfied, citing his mention of Alex being a "daddy's boy" and their house being a "boys club," saying that none of that is relevant to the story.

"Was mom wrong to barge in? Yes. But if she normally respects privacy, then this should have been viewed as special circumstances bc he is legitimately hurt and may have needed help," they wrote, suggesting OP should have found a "middle ground where you didn't lay it all on her."

OP got a warning from Reddit when he told one commenter, "Do not reverse mansplain me." The commenter had written, "Wow. You're an awful ahole. Your response should have been to ask for the phone and tell your son never to curse at his mother. Are you raising men or animals? Teach them to show respect to their parents."

They went on to add, "She's not some girl on the street. That's his mom who birthed him. She can see him naked and bathe him. She's concerned about him slipping in tub as much as you are. If he suddenly can do it all himself, he can say it respectfully. No, she didn't deserve any of that, you jerk."

"The amount of people that care more about swear words than a kid not wanting their mom to barge into them naked in this thread is concerning.," wrote one Redditor.

"These comments are wild. If this was a young girl, there would be an angry mob," read one comment, while another person agreed, "These double standards are f--king wild. If that was a daughter you would be f--king crucified. Ignore these losers."

What do you think?