A father took to Reddit recently to ask a question. He wanted to know their opinion on the situation – was he rude for interrupting his son’s date so his son could pick up his little sister?
Hardworking Dad
Meet our storyteller, a single father to two children, M and L. M is 17, and L is just 8. He is a hardworking man who has a tight budget and doesn’t have a nanny to take care of his kids.
He is usually able to pick L up from school, but due to some unexpected work, he had to work overtime last night.
The original poster (OP) tried to negotiate his way out of it, but his manager was insistent that he needed to complete the work that night.
He Couldn’t Pick His Daughter Up From School
As it was nearing 6 pm, the OP realized that he wouldn’t be able to pick his daughter up from school. So, he called his son and asked him to pick her up.
He’d made this request to his son a couple of times before, around three times in a year and a half.
But this time, M had a date with his girlfriend to celebrate their six-month anniversary. When the OP called him to ask if he could pick up his little sister, M was understandably upset. He reluctantly agreed.
He Promised to Make Up for It
The OP understood but explained that he really needed M to pick L up and promised to make it up to him.
However, something odd happened – M was not happy about the interruption and turned off his phone, leaving the OP to assume that he would pick up L.
The School Called
After 30 minutes, the OP received a call from L’s school. The school was close to closing, and no one was there to pick her up! Luckily, one of her daughter’s friend’s mothers agreed to drop her off, but the OP was not pleased with this arrangement.
This particular mother has a habit of asking L math questions in the car that she knows she cannot answer and then criticizes her for it.
The OP was concerned about the negative impact this could have on his daughter’s self-esteem.
Concerns About His Daughter
The OP called M to ask where he was and why he hadn’t picked L up. M was angry and told his dad to leave him “the hell alone.”
This response angered the OP, and he knew that he needed to have a talk with his son when he got home.
M finally arrived home at around 9 pm, three hours later than he was supposed to! The OP immediately grounded him and took away his car privileges for three weeks.
Failing as a Parent?
But M retaliated by telling the OP that he was failing as a parent and that it wasn’t his fault that he couldn’t afford someone to collect L!
The OP realizes that he may have made a mistake by interrupting M’s date, but he had no other option. He loves his children and is trying his best to be a good parent, but sometimes life gets in the way.
He doesn’t want to be too harsh on his son, but he also doesn’t want to let him off the hook so easily.
Juggling Life
As a single parent, he has to juggle work, parenting duties, and a tight budget, and it can sometimes get complex.
The OP, feeling guilty and unsure of himself, sought the advice of others and posted his story on Reddit, wondering if he had been too harsh on his son and if he was, in fact, a bad dad for interrupting his date.
As you can imagine, the responses were varied. Some people thought that the OP had been too harsh on his son and that he should have made other arrangements for L.
In the Wrong
Others thought that M was in the wrong for prioritizing his date over his sister’s safety and well-being.
In situations like these, it’s important to communicate and find a solution that works for everyone. Maybe the OP could have found an alternative solution to picking up his daughter, but he did what he thought was best at the time.
However, M’s reaction was not appropriate, and he should have been more understanding of his father’s situation.
Grounded His Son
Grounding his son and taking away his car privileges may seem harsh, but it’s a fair consequence for his actions. The OP is not failing as a parent; he’s doing the best he can with the resources he has.
His son needs to learn that his actions have consequences, and sometimes, he’ll have to sacrifice his own wants for his family’s needs.
A Difficult Situation
In the end, the OP is in a difficult situation with no easy answers. But the key to resolving this situation lies in communication and empathy.
The OP and his son need to have an open and honest conversation about their feelings and needs, and they need to listen to each other.
What do you think about this story? Was he too harsh on his son, or was he justified in grounding him?
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The post His Untimely Interruption of Son’s Date Leads to Explosive Argument first appeared on The Net Worth Of.
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Source: Reddit