When a father walked in on his son’s conversation with friends, he decided to have a serious discussion with the young boy. He then grounded his son, but his wife and in-laws felt he had overreacted.
After receiving flack from his wife and in-laws, a Reddit user took to the platform to find out if he had overreacted to his son’s behavior. He was still determining whether or not the punishment he issued was too severe.
The original poster (OP) explained that he had three children, one of whom was at university, leaving himself, his wife, his 16-year-old son, and his 11-year-old daughter. He explained that he was proud of his children but felt his son had done something seriously wrong.
The OP’s son had some friends over one night, and as they were upstairs in the OP’s home, the OP went upstairs so he could give them the pizza that had been delivered when he overheard an unsavory conversation.
What Did the OP’s Son Do?
When the OP went into the room where his son and his friends were talking, he heard them talking about how his son’s friends owed him something for a dare he had completed. Upon listening further, the OP was horrified.
The OP learned that his son had asked a girl in his class out as a dare. His friends dared him to ask the girl out because she was someone his friends didn’t deem attractive enough or someone they would date.
Although upset, the OP waited until his son’s friends had left before he confronted him. The OP admitted to raising his voice at his son for a while because he was so upset, but explained:
“…the same thing had happened to my cousin when we were younger, and I saw how the whole thing affected her as she took on new relationships.”
The OP’s son argued that it was a harmless prank and that his father had gone against him because he had listened to private conversations with his friends when he walked into the room.
After a while, the OP’s son said he felt sorry for the OP’s cousin and promised he would not pull the prank any further. However, the OP did not feel the conversation was enough.
How Did the OP Punish His Son?
After the OP had confirmed his son would not take the prank any further, he grounded his son for two weeks. The OP’s son said it had nothing to do with the OP and that he shouldn’t have any say in what happened next.
The OP was unsure, so he told his wife what had happened, and she told him, “boys will be boys.” The OP’s wife found the prank harmless, and when he asked what she would do if something similar happened to their daughter, his wife replied:
“That won’t happen because she has good genes.”
Soon after he had the conversation with his wife, the OP’s mother and father-in-law sent many messages in the family group chat saying that the OP was hurting their grandchild for doing something all teenage boys did.
The OP asked if he was wrong for grounding his son and said that he would take back his son’s grounding if he were being too nosy. Reddit users were quick to respond and weigh in on the situation.
