Bad Parents Who Finally Got What Was Coming to Them

Bad Parents

Generally speaking, everyone should be able to look up to their parents and lead by their example.

But often, parents are nothing like the saints society wants them to be. 

A few Redditors have come together to share the stories that opened their eyes to unbecoming parents. These stories range from general insensitivities to showing how necessary child protection services are. Let’s take a look at the best few. 

Halloween Decoration

I was twelve, and it was around Halloween time. We had this life-sized skeleton decoration hanging from a tree in our front yard. One day, this woman knocked on our door. She was extremely nice and apologetic. She told my parents that her best friend lived on our street and that her daughter had just taken her life by hanging. 

She said that her friend had to pass by our house daily and that the decoration was really hard to look at. What did my mom say to this? She yelled, “It’s just a Halloween decoration. I’m not taking it down. Tell her to get over it.” She then slammed the door in the woman’s face.

I couldn’t believe it. I was disgusted, and now, twenty years later, I still think about how horrible this must’ve been for that poor woman. I never understood why my mom didn’t take it down. I would’ve. 

To this day, I still check my Halloween decorations and make sure not to depict something that could trigger someone. This is one of many reasons why I haven’t contacted her in ten years.

The next Redditor’s dad remarried, which was fine until the Redditor discovered who the bride was.

Reddit/voodoo-mama_juju

Father’s New Wife

I haven’t spoken to my biological father in years, but I know he remarried again. Someone on his side of the family heard that my little sister was getting married, and they crashed the wedding.   

During the reception, this familiar-looking woman walked up to me and asked if I was who she thought I was. I gave her my name and said that she looked familiar but that I couldn’t remember her name.

When she told me her name,  it reminded me of a shocking fact. I babysat her while I was in high school. She was in middle school at the time. I mistakenly asked her whose guest she was at the wedding. 

That’s when she told me she was my biological father’s wife. She wanted me to know that he was hers now. I couldn’t believe it. Not wanting to cause a scene, I excused myself and walked away from her. 

One Redditor’s mom was crazy! After they’d had their child, she told them they were unfit parents. No one expected what they would do next.

Reddit/RagaMuffinSun

In Therapy

Today, it has been exactly one year since the incident happened. My wife and I have been seeing a therapist because of how horrible our families are. Before meeting our therapist, neither of us ever had a strong spine about it. We barely speak to my mother-in-law. She’s horrible, and she’s got some substance abuse issues, namely an addiction to pain medication.

A year and a few days ago, my wife was due to have our first child at any second. We were planning on having both sets of parents at the hospital once the baby arrived so my wife and I had time to bond. Everyone was okay with it except for my mom.

She demanded to come to the hospital earlier, and we said no. When we weren’t budging, she finally said okay and accepted it. Eventually, our baby boy is born, and we’re over the moon. We didn’t know that it was a boy beforehand, so it was a big surprise to us. Both sets of parents came, and everything seemed good until it took a dark turn. 

My wife was getting tired, so I walked my parents out; her parents had left earlier. The following day, my wife had to tear up and needed some medication. She didn’t want pain medications because of her mother’s history, but she agreed to take some Advil. I got up and went to get some things at CVS.

My wife and our son were sleeping at home. He was in his cot. I was in line, getting us dinner, when my wife called. She was sobbing. She told me that she had woken up and the baby was gone. I ran home, and we were both a mess. My neighbor came over, asking what was going on. She saw me running home, so I told her what was happening. 

She responded, “Wait, so your parents weren’t supposed to take the baby?” It turns out my mom showed up and kidnapped the baby. I called the sheriff’s office since my best friend was a deputy there. As soon as I told him and his partner what had happened, they went to get our baby.

Apparently, my dad wasn’t involved in the actual kidnapping, but he did know about it. My mom knew where we kept a spare key and let herself in while I was out. We decided to press charges. My friend said they had a nursery waiting at their house.

We got our boy back, and my mom was sentenced. Given her standing in the community, she was let off with a slap on the wrist. But the negative attention she got from it made her and my dad move. 

My sister had just turned 18 and stayed with us for a few months until she moved a few states away for school. We didn’t hear from my mom and dad for a long time. But in the last few months, my mom has tried reaching out. 

Because of her, we now have cameras, a security system, and no spare key outside. We’ve left our spare with our neighbor, and we are three months along with our second child. I hope my mom doesn’t find out about it anytime soon. 

Usually, mothers-in-law are known for being the nicest. This next one certainly doesn’t do the stereotype any favors. 

Reddit/not2daysatan90

A Worthy Mother

One of my family members got Zika recently while she was six months pregnant. She’d been trying to get pregnant for many years with no luck, but eventually, she gave up all hope. By some miracle, she was able to conceive.

She told her mother-in-law about the Zika, and the horrible woman responded, “I should have known this would happen when I first met you and saw the way you were dressed.”

That’s right; she was implying that she wasn’t a worthy mother because she wore short shorts and tank tops. After this conversation, the poor girl was really harsh on herself. She even blamed herself for getting Zika, even though no one knew it was in the area. 

Despite this, she decided to carry the baby to term. He was born with no microcephaly or health issues just two weeks ago. He even tested negative for Zika.

Sometimes, parents can be pretty petty and spiteful, especially towards their own child, just like in the next story.

Reddit/StarryEyedSucker

Birthday

My engineering graduation was the same day as my mom’s birthday. I didn’t get to choose the date, obviously. 

But my mom was not convinced. She would not let this go or accept it. 

After telling me that I ruined her birthday, she got her horrible revenge. She scheduled her birthday party for my actual birthday. Her birthday is in March, and mine is in August.

To be a good parent, you need to be responsible, and sometimes, you must avoid spoiling your children. 

Reddit/my_name_isnt_zelda

Spoiled Girl

At my university, I’ve been a TA for a few courses, which is pretty competitive. The students are usually all top-notch, but once in a blue moon, someone will slit by the admission process. The worst experience I had was with a TA for a lower-division math course.

She was a freshman, and she was the most spoiled person I’d ever met. Her family was rich, and I assume she attended some expensive private school that wrote her application. 

She always dressed in designer clothes and loved being on her phone and laptop during lectures. She was just sitting there, texting friends and shopping for clothes online. One day, she didn’t turn in the first four problem sets. I decided to email her, informing her that homework contributed to a significant portion of her grade.

I told her that I would still accept her work, but I never got a response. She got an F on her first midterm. It wasn’t an F that could be rounded up to anything significant. I sent another email telling her this. 

She responded, saying she could make the grade back next midterm. I shrugged and let it go. I continued through the rest of the semester. She was failing horribly until something astonishing happened.

It was the last meeting of my discussion section, and she actually showed up. But she wasn’t alone. Her parents were there with her. After the session, she stayed behind to introduce me to her parents. She then handed me a stack of papers, saying it was all the homework for the semester.

Her parents sat there, all proud of their daughter. I took the stack from her and spoke professionally, telling her I’d gladly take a look at it but that she wouldn’t get any credit.

Her parents’ faces dropped, and then her father began insulting me. That’s when I showed them everything: the abysmal attendance record, the 0% homework score, and the super low midterm scores. She started crying, and her parents were furious. 

I told them that I had a class to get to and left, but not before hearing the student get chewed up so loudly that other people were peeking their heads out of the classrooms. She never showed up to the final.

But parents and grandparents can sometimes be so bad that rules are made just for them. Here’s an example. 

Reddit/Anyun

Sleeping Children 

When I worked in a daycare, they told me never to accept babies sleeping in car seats, or any sleeping children, for that matter. When parents brought a sleeping child, I would quickly wake them up before pulling them from their car seats. This displeased so many parents, but eventually, I learned the disturbing truth behind this rule. 

One day, a grandma brought a sleeping baby, and he wasn’t waking up at all. He would raise his head, whimper, and fall back asleep. My boss quickly called 911 while the grandma insisted, “he had a rough night, he’s just tired, etc.”

I knew this baby; he was not the type to sleep if it meant he would miss out. Music was playing, and all the other kids were singing and dancing. The grandma slipped out during the chaos, and someone had to call the baby’s parents. 

They soon learned that the grandma had a history of giving children things to knock them out while she babysat. This time, she did it to a six-month-old baby. This was why he wasn’t waking up.

They had to pump his stomach, and he stayed in the hospital for a little while. The parents took legal action and moved away. This policy was put in place because my boss knew that abusers did these kinds of things.

They would break a child’s arm, dose them, and then leave them with the sitter while the baby slept all morning. This way, it was easy for them to blame the sitter for the injury. Or in some cases, the baby dies, and they do this to blame the sitter.

To this day, I don’t babysit sleeping children. I basically avoid child care these days because although I love kids, I hate watching parents make bad decisions on purpose when they know better.

Some parents are bad, despite knowing better, while others are bad because they’re not smart enough to tell the good from the bad. This next story is the perfect example of this.

Reddit/56149

Entitled Mother 

My grandma passed a few weeks ago. She’d passed in the hospital, and on the day of her funeral, I was outside the hospital talking to the owner of the funeral home.

He was my godfather, and I’d always had a great relationship with him. He’s known me since I was a little baby, and he’s always treated me like his son. So on this day, we were just outside the hospital, talking. 

There were these company vehicles parked in front of us, including the big one: The hearse. All of a sudden, this entitled mother approached us. 

EM: Hello. Me: Uh, hello. She had her kid just next to her, and he was holding a drink.

EM: I was wondering if my son could ride the limousine. She then pointed her finger to the hearse. It took me a while to respond for two reasons.

The first reason was that I had so many thoughts going through my head, and the woman caught me off guard. I’m introverted and don’t like speaking to strangers.

The second reason was that I was holding in my laugh. She really thought this was a limousine.

Me: I’m sorry to say this, but that’s not—

EM: Are you going to say no to a little child? At this point, I don’t know what to say. Me: Miss, believe me. You don’t want your son to go in that thing.

EM: Ugh…Why are you so stingy? Even if he spills his drink in the limousine, it won’t be a problem. You have enough money to buy a limousine, so you’ll surely have enough to clean it.

Then my godfather comes in. 

GF: Excuse me, miss. What do you want to do?

EM: I want my son to ride the limousine! My godfather then said the most epic thing I have ever heard. 

GF: thinks for a bit. Well, sure, he can ride the limousine. But only if he has a coffin to be in.

The mom was confused by his response. She glanced back over at the “limousine” and realized her mistake. I don’t know how she could’ve mistaken it for a limousine. I just assumed the company logo was out of her view.

When she realized this, she went pale and began walking away as fast as possible. My godfather and I couldn’t stop laughing.

Another case of bad parenting is absence. Setting up a child financially is not enough. You need to make sure they’re okay emotionally too. 

Reddit/manuelgennaromusic

1% Family

A few years back, I worked as a nanny for a 1% family, and I’m scarred by the things I saw while working there. One time, I heard one of their parents complain about how rude it was that their friend hadn’t offered to fly them to Miami. They wanted to take their private jet for a weekend getaway. They then said that they were “forced” to go first-class. I was baffled! 

The other parent once told me that I was “sweet” because I told them that I would be happy helping others and never being rich. They also used to go on spontaneous trips and leave me at their house with the kid. The kid had no sense of stability. There were business-related videos of the parents on YouTube, and I would play them for the kid to give them some sense of consistency.

I really loved the kid. They were adorable and sweet, which made it really hard when I decided to leave. I felt horrible. I always got sad thinking they’d turn out like their parents someday. I remember when they spoke about the private jet situation; they asked me if they were overreacting. 

They asked me, “Wouldn’t you be upset? Don’t you think that’s rude? They’ve been doing better [financially] now that they have Company X money. They could have sent a plane etc.” I was just thinking about the fact that my entire year’s salary wouldn’t be able to cover one chartered flight. I was not the person to ask. 

Human stupidity often leads to bad parenting, as seen in this next story. Remember, folks, never leave your baby alone!

Reddit/Throwawaaayyytoday

Sessions’s Over

I was halfway through a counseling session with a couple with a four-month-old baby. I asked about the baby, and the mom said, “She’s in bed at home.” I said, “Ah, grandparents babysitting?”

The dad went, “No, she is at home alone. Nothing can happen to her. We bought a special mattress. One where she can’t suffocate.” At this point, my jaw was on the floor, and I was just staring at them for a couple of seconds. Then I asked how long it took them to get here.

They told me about 15 minutes, so I said, “Alright, the session’s over. I want you guys to go home immediately and call me when you arrive. Please hurry. And never ever leave your baby alone!”

Our next Redditor’s parents would hype up the “we need to talk” conversation. But it left her scarred.

Reddit/tasjekoffie

We Need To Talk

When I was growing up, “I need to talk to you” quite literally meant impending doom. It meant that I was going to walk into a room, have a screaming battle for 30 minutes, cry, and want to sleep forever over and over again. I have PTSD from it all.

Now my boyfriend’s mom, every other day, comes to us and says, “I need to talk to you guys later,” and it makes me live in anxiety now.

It’s almost always something trivial that could have been said in passing. God, please just say it in passing. Don’t say that we need to talk later and then have it be something that you could’ve just said right then and there. I really hate going through the whole day in anxiety like that.

This next parent is bad because he let our Redditor, his daughter, be manipulated by his new wife. Who’s younger than she is?

Reddit/[deleted]

Cutting Down Costs

My parents were married for 25 years before they divorced. A visiting nanny took great interest in my dad as he was a seemingly easy shortcut to citizenship and comfortable life. She actively pursued my dad, who obviously failed to put up much resistance.

My mom found evidence of money transfers and love letters, and that was that. She filed for divorce. The nanny eventually married my dad, and my sister and I got a stepmom who was younger than us. This woman was a monster. She would monitor all phone calls between my dad and me. She banned him from visiting us at Christmas or during the holidays, and she bought my sister and me a pair of socks each for gifts. In comparison, she treated herself to overseas vacations and ridiculous amounts of plastic surgery.

It wasn’t the gift itself that was the problem. It was the sneer on her face while she handed them to us. Eventually, we just stopped talking to my dad. During this time, mom would receive harassing phone calls that she should give up her house, and in exchange, the nanny would care for my sister and me.

We were still in school, and my dad agreed to support us until we finished our post-secondary education. I believe the demands had to do with both being upset she hadn’t taken our family home as she fantasized she would and the fact that she thought supporting us directly would cut down their costs significantly.

It’s not a good feeling when your parents are always against you. But thankfully, our next Redditor had a savior in an unlikely place.

Reddit/Wrexasaurus

Trying To Be The Bigger Person

I was in no contact with my mother for two and a half years until I had a medical event. She’d begged to be part of my life, and I’m trying to be a bigger person. But when she started barking at me about being disappointed, I harped back that she was 50% of the reason I was in this place.

Because I’m just now coming to terms with the damage, she has done to me. And I told her this: I told her she was neglectful and violent, and when she tried to say otherwise, my dad went to bat for me.

My dad is not biological. He has been her boyfriend for the last 10+ years. This might be the first adult, the first parental figure to ever go to bat for me, and it was a magical feeling. To know that not all adults are horrible, and it’s not every man for himself all the time.

There’s no deeper insight here. I stood up for myself, and for once in my life, I had someone else tell me that I was right. There’s going to be a lot of healing that comes after this.

The next Redditor had such bad parents that just the mere sound of someone humming was enough to upset them. Here’s the reason why.

Reddit/VJohns11

There’s No Way Out Of This

This was a really cathartic moment for my brother and me. We were talking on the phone, and the conversation turned to our mom. He has only recently realized the damage she’s done to both of us individually and our sibling relationship, which I’ve known for a while now.

We were talking about the fact that because of how emotionally messed up our family was, we had no proper role models for how to communicate or be in a healthy, loving relationship. And he was saying how sometimes that creates tension with his girlfriend because he won’t be able to articulate how he’s feeling, and she’ll get frustrated because his lack of communication makes it seem like he doesn’t care.

But they talk it out, and he’s trying, which makes him one step ahead of me (relationship-wise) and about a billion steps ahead of our parents. Anyway, our mom would always hum when she was angry or upset but never reveal the reason. He said to me, “My girlfriend was just humming the other day, and I think I scared her with how upset I got. I couldn’t really explain it at the moment.

I was just like, ‘I’m really sorry, but you NEED to stop humming.'” I knew exactly what he meant. For us, the sound of someone humming means, “Mom is mad, and I don’t know why, but it’s my fault somehow, and I’m probably going to get in trouble, and no matter what I say or do, there’s no way out of this,” He was eventually able to explain this to her, but my God!

When he told me that, in a weird way, I was so happy. I think it validated that I wasn’t just “crazy” for going into a cold sweat and getting palpitations whenever someone hummed around me.

Our next Redditor’s father was dating a woman much younger than him. But it was what he said that made him sure he was a bad parent.

Reddit/Permalink

I’ll Pass

My parents divorced around their mid-to-late-30s. They had me when they were young. When I was 21, I visited my dad’s house for the night, and a girl he had been dating was over. So, he walked downstairs and asked me what I was up to. 

He then said the most horrendous thing he’s ever told me: “You know, she’s about the same age as you. Do you want to get intimate with her a little bit? 

I’m sure she won’t mind.” I declined, then went straight out the door to stay with friends instead.

Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon thing for parents to threaten to kick their children out. But this Redditor called them on it.

Reddit/Mtwilliams2448

Today Was The Tipping Point

My parents have been threatening to kick me out since the 7th grade, so that’s not a new thing. But today was the tipping point. My dad asked me about making something for my brother’s boat.

His phrasing was more along the lines of curiosity versus actually wanting me to do it. I said it would be possible and thought that was it. Later tonight, my mom came down to where my brother and I were hanging out and started ripping into me. She was talking about “being disappointed in me” for “never helping.” I, unfortunately, defended myself.

From there, it escalated into me being lazy, me being disrespectful, and me never washing dishes. The first kicker is that I do help, but with the dishes, my mom only decides to do them as I’m eating or doing something on my own.

The second kicker is that the whole reason we are fighting is over something that is my brother’s. My dad blew up in my face after I unsuccessfully tried to explain and mend the situation.

I was supposed to leave then and there. No car keys, shoes, or wallet. Luckily, I left those things in my room—since I had been planning this for years. When I got up there, I started shoving everything into suitcases.

My desktop came with me too. My dad came up, floored that I was taking everything. “You were only supposed to take stuff for a couple of days and then come back and apologize.” All my mom was worried about was me taking a towel with me.

I’m so glad I planned ahead. All of my documents are safe. My bank account is secure, no major loans, and a fiancé I can live with. I’m nervous about health insurance, but that is it.

Yet another father is dating a woman younger than his child. But apparently, it’s not a healthy relationship.

Reddit/salt-mistress

Zero Communication

My dad is dating a girl younger than me. I’m 25, she’s 23, and he’s 50. I hate the looks of other people, and it makes me uncomfortable to be around them.

It’s so weird for me to watch him teach her how to do laundry or the dishes. It’s like he’s raising another child. He gets angry that she doesn’t know how to cook or clean, but she seems to be trying her best. She just left her mom’s house, and now she’s supposed to be responsible for taking care of my dad.

They also fight all the time because he has zero respect for her. She usually goes and sulks in the car or in their room. There is absolutely zero communication between them. And the cherry on top? My dad usually buys her something after they argue, so nothing really gets resolved.

She has every scent from Bath and Body Works because that’s where he goes after they argue. He used to buy his ex-wife Clinique after they argued, so I guess he’s lucky the new one likes stuff that is much cheaper.

Our next Redditor’s mother is so bad that they had to get a restraining order from her. Imagine something so sad as that.

Reddit/Ikimdoit

The True Weight Of The Matter

I’m still in shock, to be honest. I went no-contact with my mom and my four siblings six months ago. I had been attending counseling to finally deal with my baggage after trying (and failing) to cope alone for 30 years. I finally admitted the mistreatment.

The counseling opened my eyes to how awful my family was and the damage it was now doing to my three children. I feel incredible guilt for allowing my children to be hurt in this way. Anyway. My mom didn’t take too kindly to me, stopping her from seeing my children when I went no-contact since she genuinely thought the kids were her possessions.

She began a smear campaign, contacting ex-partners, friends, clients, etc. She got a solicitor and tried to get visitation rights. And then she started stalking us. Coming to my house, being at the children’s school several times a week, trying to talk to them, etc.

She once tried to take them from school and was stopped by a teacher. She wrote letters to the children and used another child to hand them the letters in school. And finally, she wrote the children weekly letters delivered to my house. The language in the letters has been likened to grooming techniques by the authorities.

So after six months of this, six months of me being unable to collect my children from school because of fear, six months of being essentially a hermit and being unable to answer my phone or open the door, I called the authorities on her and told them everything.

They were amazing. I was expecting the “oh, it’s a family falling out, but she’s your mom” comments. But they didn’t. They believed me, they took it very seriously, took statements, and were so supportive. They said it was stalking, and that validation was just amazing. So they detained her—something that had never happened in her life before. She is not allowed to come near me, my house, or my children’s school.

Our next Redditor used to have a crush on a waitress at his dad’s favorite restaurant. But then his dad did the unthinkable.

Reddit/drowninglice

My World Turned Upside-Down

My dad is married to a 25-year-old waitress. I am 26. When I was 18 or 19, my family used to go to the place she waited at, and every time, I would silently pray we were going to be seated in her section because I had a huge crush.

My dad would always be a dad and drop some dad jokes, and I always thought she was laughing at those jokes to be polite, but it turns out she thought they were genuinely funny.

Then, my whole world turned upside-down—they got together five years ago, and my crush was quite literally crushed. He still goes to the same place to eat, and she’s still his waitress, but the jokes are worse now.

Parents should nurture their children into confident and healthy adults. But sometimes, things just don’t work out that way.

Reddit/Scroggybottoms

Cost Of Entry

My mom always made it clear she had complete disdain for everything about me. I was cold and unemotional (because showing emotions got you mocked in our house), my interests were stupid, and she ragged on my fashion sense so much that her favorite insult was, “well, that’s very you.”

In response, I became very accomplished at school, seeking any sort of positive feedback from an authority figure. However, my chosen fields of study were never going to make me any money, so they weren’t worth anything to her.

According to her, I apparently thought I was “better than everyone else.” As a result, I think I developed a core belief that since I had no intrinsic worth, my only worth was in what I could offer people—knowledge, therapy, favors, food, and support. I’m a chef, and I never show up anywhere empty-handed. If I’m invited somewhere, or friends agree to come over, chances are I’m bringing something absurdly extravagant with me to “justify” my presence.

Having been in therapy for a while now, I’ve realized that I don’t need to pay a “cost of entry” to socialize with people. I’ve invited places because people actually enjoy having me there, not because I’m going to bring a 12-layer cake. It’s so hard to actually believe that, but it’s been eye-opening to realize how my lack of self-worth has shaped my relationships over the years.

So, for any unloved fellow kids out there: Just because the people who should have loved you didn’t does make you unlovable. You are worthy intrinsically and not because of any utility you offer.

There are so many remarries on this list. Yet another father who remarried a young woman. But this father left his previous family with nothing.

Reddit/thatonetinyspoon

New Wife, New Life

At 49, my dad divorced my mom to marry a 25-year-old woman. He had six kids with my mom. The new wife was two years older than his oldest child and five years older than me. I tried giving her a chance—until I found out what she made my dad do. She made him reverse his vasectomy and have a child, who is 25 years my junior.

He stopped paying for college for former kids and stopped paying alimony to my mom after ten years. He moved to Texas with his new wife, then retired and eventually passed. His entire estate went to the new wife and her kid. My mom never recovered.

She had never finished college, and because she got married and quickly had kids in her early 20s, she had no real means of support. She was always the dominant one in the relationship, and she was hurt quite badly by the affair and subsequent divorce.

She always assumed he would come to his senses and come back to her right up until she got the divorce papers. That knocked her over. Dad then took her youngest kid to live with him, basically saying, “You aren’t doing a good job raising him,” which messed her up again. No inheritance for the first six kids. His new wife never read the will and basically kept everything.

Bad parents often feel control over their children. This extends to blaming them whenever something bad happens. Just as our next Redditor knows.

Reddit/romons

Pass The Blame

In my house, I was always blamed for the smallest things. Whether it was for spilling a little bit of water or leaving my book lying around on a table or even sleeping in on weekends, I am not saying I was right all the time. All I’m saying is I could’ve been corrected better.

Instead of being told why I was wrong or why I should not have done something, I was always yelled at for it. This simply made me better at hiding my faults, not omitting them altogether. However, today I left a giant jar of almond milk I made as a gift to a friend.

I had left it in the fridge, and in the morning, I heard a loud shatter, and I knew it was my almond milk. I walked over and saw my mom, who obviously caused the mess, just standing there.

Her first reaction was to yell at me, as per usual. I told myself there were two ways I could handle this. I could either yell back and create an argument, or I could be calm about it.

So, I chose the latter. I picked up a cloth and a broom and insisted that it was an accident, that we all make mistakes, and that accidents are not intentionally done.

I also told her that her mistakes didn’t make her a bad person. Instead, they were just mistakes. I also reminded her that the almond milk I made could be made again and that it’s not worth getting upset over because there is really no point crying over spilled (almond) milk.

She was definitely taken aback by it, and she did not know how to respond. I told her that I would clean up the mess and while doing it I was so proud and had so much hope that maybe this vicious parenting cycle was going to end with me.

Reddit/DisastrousSir4

A Controlling Relationship

My dad loves controlling people. He used to always go on about wanting an Asian wife because he thought she’d be really grateful and meek towards him. He fancied the idea of not getting into any arguments.

Not long after admitting those desires to me, he—in his 50s—met and married a 21-year-old Chinese woman. I was 23 at the time. The age difference doesn’t bother me—however, what is disturbing is my dad’s behavior. The way he treats her in public is revolting.

He is so condescending and talks really slowly, like someone would to a toddler. He tells her off and calls her names. It was so sad to see. I don’t know for sure, but she may have left him because when I was last in contact with him, he never brought her with him or spoke about her.

Once you grow up and are out of the house, you shouldn’t have to associate with your parents. But some just really don’t let go.

Reddit/Permalink

Limited Contact

A few days ago, my mom called me. I currently have very limited contact with her, so this is maybe the sixth time we’ve talked in seven years. She told me she wanted to send money for my son’s birthday, but there was a catch. She will only do it if she can talk to him on the phone.

I said a flat-out no with no argument or insults, just no. She started with the phrase that always gets me: “I just don’t understand.” This would have sent me into a rage spiral about everything that happened, which would have turned into a fight, had she said that a few years ago.

But now I have a magic phrase all my own: “I’m sorry you don’t understand, I have to go.” It’s so awesome! It cuts her off, and it ends any further argument. I wish I had known that 30 years ago, and I just thought I’d share.

Parents need to respect boundaries. We don’t have to tell you that this extends to their hair. This next mother had to hear it though.

Reddit/that1chick1730

Cutting Her Hair

This happened a few minutes ago and I am beyond angry. I have been sick for days now. I have long curly hair that reaches the end of my back. Because of the fever I’d been having, I hadn’t been able to brush my hair and it was all tangled.

So my mom told me yesterday that because I cannot take care of my hair, she’s going to cut it all the way to my shoulders. I was almost too sick to speak, but I still told her no. Today, I was feeling a little better and got up, took a shower, and combed my hair.

While I was doing this, my mother came in behind me and took the comb and started combing my hair gently and very sweetly. Or so I thought. Suddenly, I felt something on my back—it was scissors.

Still, she said she was just trimming my hair. But when I looked in mirror, she had cut my hair 4-5 inches. That is a lot for curly hair, and it will take YEARS to grow back. But I’m not angry about hair.

I am angry about her trespassing on my boundaries, yet again. I hate her so much right now. I don’t even want to look at her face, even though I live with her.

Parents can often be controlling. But our next Redditor really showed them the error of their ways.

Kept On A Short Leash

As I now know, it’s normal to have a front door key when you go to school. However, I didn’t get a key until I was 16, and it was only for the front door, not the door to our apartment. So I was always dependent on my mother when I went out and had to go back to the apartment. For years, I asked for my own key, but it was always just, “I’m home anyway. We don’t have to give you one. Just ring the bell, and I’ll open it for you.”

Sounds logical in theory, but it was terrible to live through. Quite often I came home from school and stood in front of the locked apartment. There was no reaction to my ringing, and knocking didn’t help either.

Sometimes I sat in front of the door for two hours, even in wet clothes when it rained. And what was my mom doing? Sleeping, usually. When she once remembered that her daughter had long since finished school, she arrived and let me into the apartment. No apology or words of remorse. Only afterward did I understand that this was just one of their methods of controlling me and keeping me on a short leash. 

It’s a difficult thing when a son doesn’t even have respect for their parents. This Redditor this all too well.

Reddit/Chassy1337

Healing Takes A Long Time

My parents married young, as was typical in the ’60s. A decade into their marriage, he was caught with our babysitter. He eventually left our mom and married her, but that only lasted a few years. My dad then played the knight in shining armor to a succession of young women who were ‘down on their luck.’

It was the same pattern over and over. They were always about the same age–late teens to early twenties. It didn’t matter how old my dad got or how much older we, his children, were compared to them. Ultimately, his work took him to the Philippines, and he became involved with a young woman there. He said they were just friends, and all of his many trips there were apparently to help her and her family.

We rolled our eyes. Eventually, our dad informed us he married her so she could come to Canada for a better life. We were taken aback when he told us her age—she is about five years younger than the youngest one of us. I don’t have any beef with her.

She’s kind, decent, and hardworking, albeit too submissive and deferential to my dad. I’m sure that’s part of what he likes about her. My problem is really with my dad alone, who has repeatedly proven himself to be a self-centered narcissist fixated on younger women. He congratulates himself for ‘saving’ all these people and helping them out of their miserable lives when he’s never used the time of day for his own kids or grandkids.

It’s the saddest thing when parents are a no-show. But it’s even worse when you’re kicked out at eight o’clock at night.

Reddit/IdleOsprey

No Show

My mom changed the locks and kicked my baby and me out at 8 pm five nights ago. Now I’m ruining Christmas for the entire family by not showing up.

We are out. I’m free and have no contact for now. Her plan backfired, and now the texting of emotional novels has started.

I’m contemplating changing my phone number. I’m holding my baby in a warm apartment with full bellies and friends, and we have our own room and bathroom.

This is what I’ve been saving for. Wish me luck as I finish my education and move forward with life. I’m working towards my Bachelor of Nursing now, with a goal of finishing with my master’s and becoming a nurse practitioner.

I’m being guilt-tripped, but I have to stay strong for myself and my child. These classes are not easy, but failing would just be what she wants.

We’ve heard the tale of fathers marrying younger women a lot by now. But what about ones from a psyche ward?

Reddit/thirdcoastgrill

Too Much For Me To Handle

When I was 19, my dad married someone six months younger than me after meeting her in the psych ward of a hospital. At the time, my father was 39, and he was recovering from an addiction. My father always dated women much younger than himself, but I was conditioned to it.

At the very least, he had never dated younger than me. I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt, but when he brought her to my cousin’s wedding, chaos ensued. No one had met her until that point, and it was just really messy.

My dad and I were really close, but I was edging away from him because his addiction was too much for me to handle when he married this girl while I was on vacation. It just kind of sealed the deal.

We had always talked about me being his “best man” if he ever got married, and it just showed me that I would never matter more than his pleasure and his women. They are now separated, but I still don’t talk to my dad.

Reddit/radigail