Protective Father Asks If He's An A**hole For Setting Up Curfew For His 18-Year-Old Daughter

"Curfew is not parenting. It's controlling and false security."

Stephanie

• Published in Interesting
• January 2, 2024

There's no denying that parenting is a tough gig, especially when it comes to discipline. Punishing a child only becomes increasingly more difficult as they get older, and it can be tricky to navigate.

For one now-deleted Reddit user, disciplining his teenage daughter has become an issue. He recently shared his story in the r/AITA (Am I The A**hole?) subreddit.

The OP explained that he has been a single dad to his daughter "Olivia" since her mother walked out on her as a baby. She is now 18 and recently graduated from high school.

The OP says Olivia is usually a very responsible kid; however, lately, they have been arguing over her curfew. The OP explained that there are no venues that she is legally allowed to attend open after 10 pm in their town, so Olivia's curfew has been set to 10:30 pm.

The nearest town that has venues open late is about 40 minutes away on a dangerous road where accidents are a common event. The Redditor says it's not unusual for vehicles to go over the edge of the steep mountains.

When Olivia graduated, the OP changed her curfew from 10:30 to 11:30. However, he says that she continually breaks her curfew with no explanation. So, the OP punished Olivia by telling her she was not allowed to use her car for two weeks without his permission, and if she did, her grounding would be extended.

Olivia called her dad a "controlling a**hole," and now he's wondering if she's right. Keep scrolling to see how people reacted.

The Redditor explained that he has been a single dad to his daughter since she was a baby.

She is 18 now and recently graduated from high school.

Lately, they have been arguing over her curfew.

The OP says there is nowhere Olivia is legally allowed to go open past 10 pm in their town.

The nearest town that does have venues open late is a 40-minute drive away on a dangerous road.

The OP changed Olivia's curfew from 10:30 to 11:30 after she graduated, but she continues to break it.

The Redditor punished Olivia by banning her from using her car for two weeks without his permission.

She called him a "controlling a**hole."

But the OP says he'd rather she be mad at him than for something bad to happen to her.

He has imagined the worst-case scenarios.

Now he's wondering if he's the a**hole here.

Here's how people reacted.

"She's legally an adult."

"Dude, she's an adult!"

YTA.

"You are bringing up common sense safety issues."

"Curfew is not parenting."

"Congrats! You have a teenager."

"Many parents aren't worth respecting."

"You need to learn to let go."

"Prepare to have no relationship with her when she is able to move out."

What are your thoughts on this situation? Do you think the OP is being too harsh on Olivia, or is he merely being a responsible dad and looking out for her best interests?

We would love to hear your opinions on this. You can share your thoughts with us in the comment section.

Stephanie