Dad Doesn’t Understand Reason For Daughter Canceling Trip After He ‘Ruins It’ By Inviting Stepdaughter

Oct 18, 2021 by apost team

Sometimes when people have siblings or step-siblings, it can feel like they have to fight to get their parents’ attention. It can get frustrating never feeling like you truly have time to bond with your mom or dad since your time is always divided with someone else. Even if you have the best mother or father in the world, it might still feel like you’re missing out on something if you don’t get the quality time you really need. 

A 17-year-old girl found herself feeling like this, as she missed getting to have some one-on-one time with her dad, so she decided to try to do something about it. In February 2021, she made plans with her dad for the two of them to go visit a haunted house together during the Halloween weekend later that year. It was just going to be the two of them, and the daughter saved up enough money to make sure that she could afford to go on the trip since her dad said he didn’t think he’d be able to pay for both of them.

Fortunately, the teenager was able to save up enough money and everything seemed to be going according to plan until her dad decided to invite his stepdaughter. The 17-year-old girl was hurt. She was so upset that she ended up canceling their trip, leaving her dad and his stepdaughter hurt and angry as well. The teenager went to Reddit on Oct. 5, 2021, hoping that users would have some advice to offer her to move forward with her family.

At the beginning of her Reddit post, the original poster (OP) talked about planning a trip to a haunted house for Halloween weekend in 2021. OP and her father first made the plans in February, with her dad letting her know that she needed to save up enough money for her part of the trip in order for them to go. By September, OP had saved up enough money and excitedly told her father, but it seemed like their plans were changing. 

“He then brought up the subject about how cool it would be to include his stepdaughter (14) and it would be a nice bonding trip for all three of us,” OP explained. The 17-year-old was upset and told her father that she didn’t want his stepdaughter coming. “I wanted it to be just the two of us,” she said. “He asked why and I told him we never do stuff just the two of us anymore and I want that time with him.”

OP’s dad was confused; he figured she spent enough time with him along with his wife and stepdaughter. OP explained that she really wanted quality time with just him, and her dad eventually understood, meaning it would just be the two of them going on the trip. 

Unfortunately, his wife had let the plans slip to the stepdaughter, resulting in the 14-year-old really wanting to go. OP’s dad couldn’t tell her no, but OP wasn’t having it. “So I told him to forget it,” she said. “I bought myself some stuff with the money I had saved.”

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OP’s father, his wife and his stepdaughter were mad that she spent the money that was supposed to be for the trip on just herself. “My dad and his wife told me I responded like a child instead of an almost adult,” she said. She explained that she missed hanging out with her dad one-on-one, but nothing seemed to change. OP knew she was moving out in a few months, so she figured she’d just deal with the way everything was until then.

OP explained that she thought she handled the situation wrong because even though she told her dad she was cancelling the trip, she never told him that she was going to spend the money she had saved. Redditors were on the teenager’s side, though, and let her know in the comments. One user commented, “The money is yours and you’re entitled to spend it on what you want. You aren’t obligated to participate in a trip with your stepsister, let alone pay for it from your pocket.”

Another user replied, “I don’t think there’s a problem with the 17-year-old covering part of the trip for herself. Question is, why is she doing that under the guise of her dad not being able to pay for it if he can afford to throw another attendee at the last minute? How thoughtless of him.”

The majority of Reddit users came to a consensus that even though OP had planned on spending the money on the trip with her dad, it was ultimately her money, so she was free to spend it however she wanted.

Do you think this teenager was right to spend the money she had saved for a trip with her dad after her dad invited his stepdaughter? Let us know, and be sure to send this to your family and friends, too.