Internet slams single dad for 'heartless' response to teen daughter's chronic condition
A single dad was excoriated on social media after he revealed that he chose not to comfort his daughter -- who suffers from chronic pain -- since she did not heed his advice.
Single parents can attest to the fact that there's barely anything harder than raising a child on your own. And it is even harder when that child suffers from a chronic illness. The man in question decided to switch up his parenting tactics after becoming tired of seeing his daughter in pain. However, his approach backfired and he turned to the internet for advice.
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Taking to Reddit's 'Am I The A**hole' forum, the single dad (u/hoodie_4552) posted a thread asking fellow Redditors, "AITA (Am I the a-hole) for not comforting my daughter after she got hurt?" He prefaced the case by stating, "I know I sound like the AH from the title but let me explain."
"I (m30) have a daughter (f13) I am a single dad and it's always been just her and I," he began. "My daughter due to health issues has always dealt with a lot of joint pain which is a difficult thing to deal with at such a young age. And it's really difficult seeing my daughter in chronic pain."
The man recounted an incident with his embattled daughter that spurred him to try some new parenting tactics. However, his approach majorly backfired and he subsequently turned to the internet for advice.
We are watching my sister’s dog who is a high-energy golden retriever. This morning my daughter was playing with the dog, not just throwing a toy or something but full-on like roughhousing with the dog. I see right away that her doing this wouldn't end well for my daughter. So I warned my daughter that playing with the dog like that probably won't be the best idea and told her she'll probably be in pain later so she better stop. She told me she'll be fine. After that, I told her she better stop because I don't see a good outcome happening. She ignored me, so I let her rough house with the dog, which went on for over an hour.
When my daughter was done I could tell she was feeling some pain already. She didn't complain throughout the day, but it was very clear she was in pain. Specifically a more intense pain after playing with the dog. My mom came over to visit and saw my daughter clearly in pain, and usually when my daughter is having more difficult days with managing her pain I make sure to make sure she's comfortable and just try to make her feel better. Well, today my daughter wasn't willing to tell me she was in pain, so I wasn't about to start comforting her if she was trying to act like everything is fine. I explained that to my mom and she got upset and told me I need to grow up and stop being a stubborn AH just cause my daughter didn't listen to me. So AITA (Am I the a-hole)?
Fellow Redditors responded with an overwhelming YTA (you're the a-hole) directed at the OP, with some noting they were chronically sick themselves.
'You're a bad parent'
"YTA and a big one," one wrote. "Pain is not socially acceptable to show and we all learn this at a young age. Your daughter is disabled due to this pain which interferes with every aspect of her life and sometimes you just want to feel normal for a little while. Nothing more normal than playing with her pup. That you are so heartless to be all I told you so to her is just being a jackass, and a bad parent to boot."
'Do you want her to suffer?'
Another went in on the dad, writing, "Boy, you really know how to suck the joy out of a moment. As a person with chronic pain and bodily autonomy, I get to decide what activities are worth being in pain later. Let your daughter have fun in her life. She can't spend her life in bubble wrap. You acting like an AH is actively teaching your daughter to lie to you, and not alert you when she needs you or your help. Don't be that way. Do you want her to suffer in silence because your ego is too big?"
Someone else offered, "I was the kid with chronic pain. It was SO hard. You just want to do normal things but you pay for them every time. Sometimes you do them anyway, even if rationally it might not be wise because Christ you have to get some joy somewhere. Living with chronic pain can be a really really difficult and frankly depressing existence, be kind to your daughter."
Another declared, "She's 13. She's a child, she's allowed to f**k up and still have her dad take care of her. YTA."
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.
