Members of a popular internet forum defended one soon-to-be stepmother who came under scrutiny after leaving her partner's two children alone for five minutes at a hotel swimming pool.

In a viral Reddit post published on r/AmITheA**hole, Redditor u/RogersGinger (otherwise referred to as the original poster, or OP) said she was traveling with the two boys—ages 9 and 13—for the first time, and explained how the seemingly innocent incident has stuck with her for weeks.

Titled, "[Am I the a**hole] for leaving my partner's kids...unattended in a hotel pool to go to the bathroom?" the post has received over 9,100 upvotes and nearly 2,500 comments in the last day.

"I'm on the verge of becoming an official step mom," OP began. "Which would be a big 'step' for all of us."

Writing that she was watching both boys at a hotel pool, OP said her partner disappeared to get his swimsuit, leaving her alone and without a lifeguard for 40 minutes.

OP also said she had to use the bathroom, and assumed her partner's children could handle a few moments without supervision.

"I had to pee," OP wrote. "I said jokingly to them, 'ok dudes, shallow end, no drowning!' and went to the lobby bathroom for maybe 5 minutes.

"Both boys have mentioned to my partner that I left them unattended in the hotel pool...[and] weeks later this has come up with both of them," OP continued. "I'm annoyed with my partner for disappearing for an extended period of time...and I'm annoyed with the boys for ratting me out as if I left them in a burning car.

"I grew up a latchkey kid in the 90s, and am often surprised at the lack of independence both boys demonstrate," OP added. "It seems odd to me. But I accept that I may be old and wrong."

Blended families, in which at least one partner is accompanied by a child from a previous relationship, make up 40 percent of married couples with children in the U.S., according to Smart Stepfamilies.

But while Pew Research Center reports that 16 percent of children in the U.S. are living in blended families, the growing pains experienced by each pair of conjoining family units are unique to themselves.

For some blended families, moving into a single space can cause territorial disputes between new stepsiblings. For others, the integration of new parental authorities can cause rifts that last into adolescence and beyond.

A blended family's first time away from home can also be problematic, specifically as a result of concentrated interaction in a confined space for an extended period of time.

And in situations like the one described by OP, extra time spent with a parent's new partner has the potential to speed up bonding processes, or leave multiple family members at odds with each other over accusations of abandonment.

Throughout the comment section of the viral Reddit post, Redditors rallied behind OP, assuring that the two boys—who were described in the post as strong swimmers—were fine flying solo for five minutes at the hotel pool.

Redditors also called out OP's partner for disappearing under the guise of retrieving his swimsuit.

"A 9 and a 13 year old should be able to spend 5 minutes unsupervised," Redditor u/thumpmyponcho wrote in the post's top comment, which has received more than 21,000 upvotes. "If they can't, then that's a problem with their parenting, not you.

"[Not the a**hole]," they added.

Redditor u/headyg, whose comment has received nearly 9,000 upvotes, echoed that sentiment.

"Neither of them are toddlers [and] one of them is a teenager," they noted. "It is not unreasonable for them to watch each other for a few minutes in a shallow pool while you use the bathroom.

"If the expectation is that they must always be supervised 100 [percent] of the time no matter what, then let your partner be responsible for supervising them," they added.

In a separate comment, which has also received nearly 9,000 upvotes, Redditor u/columbospeugeot shifted focus to OP's partner.

"Your [boyfriend] is the [a**hole] for disappearing for 40+ minutes while 'getting his swim trunks,'" they wrote. "I don't think you were wrong...however, now you know to treat them like young children."

"I have serious concerns about the Dad who disappears for ages with no discussion beforehand then goes mad because you needed the bathroom," Redditor u/MealEcstatic6866 chimed in, receiving more than 3,000 upvotes. "It is his responsibility to supervise the children and any expectation for you to do so should have clear expectations and boundaries in place."

Newsweek reached out to u/RogersGinger for comment.

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