Dad Interrupts Son’s Date When He Refuses To Pick Up Sister And Asks If He Was Wrong

Do you remember being 17 and having a date? It was the biggest deal in the world, right? Like, nothing could possibly be more important than YOUR DATE.

So sorry to break it to you, 17 year olds of the world: literally everything else on the planet is probably more important than YOUR DATE.

Case in point: u/helplesssdad2785‘s recent post to Reddit’s AITA sub had him wondering if he was wrong to interrupt his son’s date so he could pick up his little sister.

So is he? Let’s check it out… OP is a single dad with a teenage son and an 8 year old girl.

I’m a single father (43M) to two children, Max (17M) and Liza (8F).

He ran into the problem so many single parents face: childcare and working overtime.

I usually have Liza in after school clubs so that I’m able to pick her up after work, however last evening I was given some work that had me working overtime, I did try my best to negotiate out of it but my manager told me that the assignment was to be completed by that night so I just did.

OP needed his son’s help picking up the daughter, but the son was on a date and couldn’t… OP’s response was pretty reasonable and kind, but the kid?

It was nearing towards 6pm and I just knew I wouldn’t be able to make it to Liza so I called Max and asked him to pick her up, he responded by saying that he couldn’t because he was on a date with his gf for their 6 month anniversary. I told him that I understood but that I really needed him to get Liza and that I’d make it up to him for interrupting.

Hung up on his dad. AND THEN DID NOT GET HIS SISTER.

He just angrily turned off the phone and I thought that while he was mad he had just decided to pick her up.

30 minutes later I receive a call from Liza’s school on where I was because the school was close to closing down and no one was there.

Things worked out because a friend’s mom was able to help the daughter get home, but it wasn’t particularly preferable.

Luckily one of Liza’s friend’s mother said they’d drop her off and that was all good.

However I don’t really like it when Liza goes with that particular friend, not because of the friend but because of the mother, she has this habit of asking maths questions in the car that she knows Liza is unable to answer and then criticises her over it. It’s all just very mean.

OP told his son he was in trouble when he gets home, but the son snapped back at his dad.

I called Max and asked him where he was and that he was in big trouble when he got home, he just told me that he was busy and to leave him “the hell alone”.

When the son arrived home, OP grounded him and things exploded.

He came home at around 9pm, I told him he was grounded and that he was not allowed to use the car for a good three weeks. At that he got all mad and said that it wasn’t his fault I was failing as a parent and unable to afford someone to collect Liza.

So OP wants to know: was he wrong to need to lean on his kid during crunch time at work?

Just want some insight on this situation, was I being to harsh and AITA for interrupting his date?

OP offered a few quick notes about his situation – all of which seem reasonable.

EDIT: This is the 3rd time I’ve asked Max to pick up his sister in the span of a year and a half. Some people are asking why I don’t have a nanny, money is tight.

Max and Liza’s mother is not present in their lives and no I did not think of socializing myself with the parents at Liza’s school, I am at work most times so I haven’t found time outside of the yearly parent meetings.

Please refrain from insulting my son.

And once again, we have a kid not understanding what it means to be part of a family. Fortunately, Reddit called this teen out.

“NTA. You’re not failing as a parent. You had to work overtime, not out drinking or fucking off. Your son was in the wrong here for not helping, turning the phone off and calling you out for it,” wrote one user.

Another said, “Dad was at work. He didn’t deliberately ruin son’s date. It was an exceptional work-related situation and he needed son to step up as a family member to pick up his sis. It seems dad does his best to let his son be free, with enrolling his daughter in all sorts of activities to keep her busy until he finishes work. Son could have stepped up this one. NTA dad, and good thing you grounded your son, for his entitled behavior.”