Parent's Reason for Banning Daughter From Family Meal With Boyfriend Backed

A parent has received staunch support online for refusing to permit their teenage daughter to attend a dinner with her unreliable boyfriend and his family.

The daughter's relationship with her boyfriend and his family had become strained after he abandoned her following a hiking accident—in which she slipped and broke her ankle.

Although hospitalized after the serious incident and in need of surgery, the boyfriend and his family never visited her or checked in to see how she's doing.

Upset by his neglectful attitude, the daughter tried to break the relationship off with him. Her boyfriend resisted this separation and continued to contact and pester her until she changed her decision.

The pair, which have since remained together, where planning to attend a dinner held by the boyfriend's family but the girl's parents have refused to allow her to attend. Their reasoning being that the boy and his family have not taken proper care of her and are not dependable people.

The Redditor wrote that the dinner orchestrated by the boyfriend and his family was supposed to "clear the air."

While her age hasn't been specified, the Redditor shared that their daughter is a minor. Unsure whether their decision to stop her from attending the dinner is over stepping the mark or justified, the Redditor called upon the internet to decide whether their actions were fair or not.

After being shared to the social media platform on February 21 by @Additional-Sir1003, the post has been upvoted by 97 percent of the users that engaged with it, and has been commented on 2,900 times—with most Redditors firmly in favor of the parent's decision.

What Do The Comments Say?

The vast majority of Redditors commenting under the post slammed the boyfriend's parents and expressed their support for the girl's parents, arguing that the family's dinner is a shallow attempt at trying to persuade her that they care about her.

"I will add to this that, although barely, your daughter is still a minor. It is still your right and obligation to make decisions regarding her physical safety and mental health," one user wrote.

Another user added: "You are [not in the wrong]. He still doesn't think it was wrong to leave your daughter when she was hurt. His family doesn't think they were wrong for leaving her when she was hurt.

"Neither the boyfriend nor his family came to the hospital after she needed surgery. No attempt has been made to apologize. Their idea of 'clearing the air' is probably gaslight your daughter into thinking she was over reacting. If he truly loved your daughter none of the above would have happened."

"These people are making me incredibly angry," a different Redditor shared.

When Are You Being Too Controlling Over Your Child?

Jack Hazan is a licensed psychotherapist and author. He told Newsweek that controlling and over-protective parents tend to be afraid that if they give their child too much freedom, they will get into some sort of trouble.

"However, helicopter parenting rarely works. The young adult should approach this parenting style with communicating their need for autonomy in order to grow and develop," the psychotherapist added.

Hazan told Newsweek: "This might look like them committing to following the rules and boundaries set by their parents but also asking for them to trust that they will be okay without constant interference in their lives."

He went on to advise that young people point out their "track record" to their parents to help them feel safe in letting go of control and allowing for independence. Hazan also promotes healthy check-ins and regular communication, as they can be helpful for establishing trust between a parent and their child.

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