Teen Gets Petty Revenge On Dad By Constantly Moving Things A Meter Away From Where He Put Them
It’s expected for tension to rise between teens and their parents every now and then. Mom and Dad might still see them as children, while all they want to do is act like an adult.
But when this teenage girl’s father acted immaturely, she decided the most appropriate way to respond would be with petty revenge. Below, you’ll find the full story that she recently posted on Reddit, as well as some of the replies readers have shared.
Teens often have a hard time getting along with their parents
Image credits: Zinkevych_D (not the actual image)
But after her father took the liberty of moving her things, this teen decided the best response would be petty revenge
Image credits: freddie marriage (not the actual image)
Image credits: wirestock (not the actual image)
Image credits: Alena Darmel (not the actual image)
Image credits: MetriomeXinthose
Kids have an average of 5 arguments with their parents each week
We all know parents and teens tend to have a difficult time getting along. Whether they’re arguing about what time is an appropriate curfew, how much skin they should be showing when going to school, how much money they should be earning for household chores or which friends are a good influence on them, teens and parents have a knack for getting under each other’s skin.
But boys and girls don’t always have the same conflicts with their mother and father. According to Phys.org, girls are almost twice as likely to argue with either parent about their clothes and are more likely to argue with their mom over chores. On the other hand, boys are twice as likely to argue with their moms about politics and more likely to have conflicts with Mom over homework.
In fact, kids have an average of 5 arguments a week with their parents between the ages of 2 and 18, amounting to about 4,200 arguments while growing up, the New York Post reports. These disputes tend to last about 14 minutes, and parents believe that they “win” over 60% of them.
Image credits: RDNE Stock project (not the actual image)
It’s important for parents to give their children a healthy amount of privacy
The most common issues that cause fights between kids and their parents are chores, messy bedrooms, not cleaning up shared spaces, doing homework, bedtime, spending too much time on phones/computers, arguing with siblings, brushing teeth, watching too much TV and not eating healthy food.
While parents may feel that they’re entitled to their children’s possessions as much as their kids are (“my house, my rules”), it can actually be very beneficial for teens to have privacy from their parents. Verywell Family explains that privacy is important for teens to have autonomy and to help them understand that their parents trust them. And according to Angela Lamson, PhD, LMFT, this privacy should go beyond social interactions and extend to their bedrooms, their bodies and their possessions.
Allowing teens a healthy amount of privacy and space allows them to develop their interests, respects their modesty, allows them to gain confidence and actually creates fewer conflicts. Teens don’t usually respond well to having their privacy invaded, so as hard as it may be, it’s best for parents to accept that they cannot control every single aspect of their kids’ lives.
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As kids grow up, parents must understand that they can’t control every aspect of their lives
Raising Children recommends that parents avoid looking through their children’s things without asking, reading their diaries or messages between friends, communicating with them on social media if they don’t want you to, calling to check in on them all the time and listening in on their phone conversations.
Instead, it’s wise to stay connected with your child by actively listening to them, being aware of their behavior and how they’re feeling, keeping an eye on their progress in school, getting to know their friends and making space for them to hang out in your home. And of course, resisting the urge to break your child’s trust or invade their privacy. Raising Children notes that if you need to know information from your kid, it’s best to ask them directly (“Where are you going?”), rather than snooping around to find out.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Do you think this teen was right to get petty revenge on her father? Then, if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article discussing petty revenge, we recommend reading this piece next!
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual image)
Readers shared their thoughts on the teen’s revenge, and she joined in on the conversation to share more details
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People need to finally understand that parents are just people too. They make mistakes. And as long as they're not truly abusive, with a deep indifference for their kids, they will move heaven and earth to make things right. In between their desperate attempts to do right can indeed go horribly wrong. This is what happened here. Daddy was most likely trying to correct something he thought was a bad habit and did it wrong. But as soon as he had proof on his hands, that his perception was wrong, he did everything in his power to make it right. So in the end, he was a good parent. Yes, screaming is wrong. Fullstop. But it's also a stress reaction that sometimes can't be helped. Luckily for OP her dad came around. That's the best outcome one could wish for. And the very best was, that dad understood that her pettiness was her way of dealing with the stress and realised it was her way of showing him her feelings. He understood it was his fault that she had to communicate that way.
I hear what you are saying, Sonja, but you have to be a really BAD parent to think that shouting and remonstrating with a child for 2 YEARS (to the point where the child is crying) is a good way to deal with the situation. It is abusive behaviour. Screaming can be a stress reaction, but it can most definitely be helped. It was abuse, and he needed to learn how to master his emotions to prevent further damaging his child.
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I'm sorry, but for a father to deliberately move (hide) something of his child's, lie about it, then use it as an excuse to berate and gaslight child for 2 years is NOT OKAY. NOT. OKAY. That wasn't a "mistake". That was just plain nasty. I don't think I could ever trust him again.
All the gas lighting aside, am I the only one who thinks it's weird that a 14-year-old has files she needs to keep at home for winter AND summer jobs?
No, because it depends on the job :) my friend worked at the local library as a teen and she helped with the materials and had lots of stuff at her house, I just thought of something like that when I read this :)
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People need to finally understand that parents are just people too. They make mistakes. And as long as they're not truly abusive, with a deep indifference for their kids, they will move heaven and earth to make things right. In between their desperate attempts to do right can indeed go horribly wrong. This is what happened here. Daddy was most likely trying to correct something he thought was a bad habit and did it wrong. But as soon as he had proof on his hands, that his perception was wrong, he did everything in his power to make it right. So in the end, he was a good parent. Yes, screaming is wrong. Fullstop. But it's also a stress reaction that sometimes can't be helped. Luckily for OP her dad came around. That's the best outcome one could wish for. And the very best was, that dad understood that her pettiness was her way of dealing with the stress and realised it was her way of showing him her feelings. He understood it was his fault that she had to communicate that way.
I hear what you are saying, Sonja, but you have to be a really BAD parent to think that shouting and remonstrating with a child for 2 YEARS (to the point where the child is crying) is a good way to deal with the situation. It is abusive behaviour. Screaming can be a stress reaction, but it can most definitely be helped. It was abuse, and he needed to learn how to master his emotions to prevent further damaging his child.
Load More Replies... I'm sorry, but for a father to deliberately move (hide) something of his child's, lie about it, then use it as an excuse to berate and gaslight child for 2 years is NOT OKAY. NOT. OKAY. That wasn't a "mistake". That was just plain nasty. I don't think I could ever trust him again.
All the gas lighting aside, am I the only one who thinks it's weird that a 14-year-old has files she needs to keep at home for winter AND summer jobs?
No, because it depends on the job :) my friend worked at the local library as a teen and she helped with the materials and had lots of stuff at her house, I just thought of something like that when I read this :)
Load More Replies...
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