“He Hung Up”: Dad’s True Colors Come Out After His Daughter Buys A Home Without Telling Him

Most people want their parents to be standing by their side on the most significant days of their lives. Whether you’re graduating from college, walking down the aisle or giving birth to your first child, there’s a good chance that you imagine your mother and father there to hold your hand and share some words of wisdom.

But unfortunately, not all parents actually know how to support their children. And when their presence causes more harm than good, they can’t be surprised when they start to be left out. One woman reached out to Reddit for advice after she decided to keep the purchase of her new home from her father. Below, you’ll find all of the details that she shared, as well as some of the replies invested readers left her.  

Purchasing a home is a huge accomplishment

Woman moving boxes in a living room, appearing thoughtful and hesitant to share important news with dad.

Image credits: Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

But this woman decided to keep the news from her father to avoid receiving any unsolicited advice

Text excerpt about a woman who doesn't share important news with her dad after past conflicts and regrets her decision.

Woman deciding not to share important news with dad after last attempt, feeling regretful and conflicted.

Woman hesitant to share important news with dad after last attempt, feeling regret and admitting she was horribly wrong

Text excerpt about a woman showing her new house to her dad before sharing important news after last attempt.

Text excerpt showing a woman expressing regret and realizing she was wrong about owning a house at a young age.

Woman upset and covering face while dad gestures in frustration in a tense moment after last attempt to share important news.

Image credits: VittorioGravino / Envato Elements (not the actual photo)

Text excerpt showing personal regrets about walking away from an offer, highlighting woman’s important news with dad.

Text excerpt showing a woman reflecting on stopping healthy obsession with house value worth over 400K.

Woman feeling conflicted about not sharing important news with dad after last attempt, reflecting on emotions and decisions.

Alt text: Woman doesn't share important news with dad after last attempt and reflects on being horribly wrong.

Text excerpt showing a conversation about not sharing important news with dad due to past mistakes and burned bridges.

Young woman in glasses using laptop in bed with orange blanket, reflecting on not sharing important news with dad.

Image credits: Vlada Karpovich / Pexels (not the actual photo)

Woman frustrated after last attempt to share important news with dad who demanded money instead of help.

Text excerpt about a woman not sharing important news with dad after her last attempt, reflecting regret.

Text excerpt discussing a woman who doesn't share important news with her dad after a last attempt, expressing regret.

Text on a white background stating she has every right to be mad due to nasty texts from dad.

Text excerpt about woman’s dilemma after last attempt, reflecting on not sharing important news with dad.

Image credits: BigNo1547

Readers assured the woman that she wasn’t obligated to keep her father in the loop, and she shared more details about her situation

Text discussing a woman’s relationship with her dad and her fear of sharing important news with him after past conflicts.

Reddit conversation about a woman who doesn’t share important news with dad after last attempt due to anger issues.

Screenshot of a Reddit conversation about a woman not sharing important news with her dad after last attempt.

Reddit conversation about woman not sharing important news with dad after feeling horribly wrong about last attempt.

Woman hesitates to share important news with dad after last attempt, expressing regret and self-doubt in a heartfelt conversation.

Text conversation about a woman avoiding sharing important news with dad after last attempt due to conflict.

Reddit conversation about woman not sharing important news with dad after difficult past and controlling her own life.

Text conversation discussing woman’s relationship with dad and husband, focusing on important news and family dynamics.

Woman hesitant to share important news with dad after last attempt, expressing regret and fear of more drama.

Some even had similar stories to share about their own parents

Screenshot of online discussion about woman not sharing important news with dad after last attempt due to strained relationship and trust issues.

After closing on the house and speaking to her dad, the author shared an update

Woman and man carrying boxes down stairs, illustrating a woman who doesn't share important news with dad after last attempt

Image credits: Blue Bird / Pexels (not the actual photo)

Text excerpt showing a woman refusing to share important news with dad about buying a house until after moving in.

Woman reflecting on not sharing important news with dad after last attempt, expressing regret and misunderstanding.

Text on screen showing a woman being hesitant to share important news with dad after a last attempt.

Text message discussing house listing and dad not liking the location after the woman's last attempt to share important news.

Woman looking contemplative, symbolizing hesitation to share important news with dad after last attempt and feeling horribly wrong.

Older man with glasses looking seriously at a smartphone, portraying a dad receiving important news from woman.

Image credits: katemangostar / Freepik (not the actual photo)

Text excerpt showing a woman reflecting on not sharing important news with her dad after the last attempt to communicate.

Woman reflecting on not sharing important news with dad after last attempt, expressing regret and concern about his reaction.

Text excerpt discussing a woman’s decision not to share important news with her dad after her last attempt.

Text excerpt about a woman who doesn't share important news with dad after a last attempt, reflecting family dynamics.

Text about a woman who doesn't share important news with dad after last attempt, expressing regret and being horribly wrong.

Image credits: BigNo1547

Again, readers left supportive messages for the homeowner

Woman doesn't share important news with dad after last attempt expressing regret for being horribly wrong.

Woman discussing not sharing important news with dad after last attempt and admitting she was horribly wrong.

Woman doesn’t share important news with dad after last attempt, expressing regret and emotional conflict in a family discussion.

Screenshot of a Reddit conversation about a woman who doesn't share important news with dad after last attempt.

Screenshot of a comment discussing a woman who doesn’t share important news with her dad after last attempt.

Commenter discussing a woman’s relationship with her dad and the importance of supportive parental guidance and boundaries.

Text conversation about a woman’s difficult relationship with her dad involving low self-esteem and missed communication.

And some shared even more stories of their own

Text conversation screenshot showing a woman who doesn't share important news with dad after strained relationship and multiple moves.

ALT text: Online discussion about woman not sharing important news with dad after last attempt and feeling horribly wrong

Text conversation about a woman choosing not to share important news with her dad after a last attempt and realizing she was wrong.

Young woman sitting alone on stairs looking upset while people walk past, depicting emotional distance with dad.

Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

Growing up with a toxic parent can take a huge toll on a person’s mental and physical health

Buying a home has always been a massive accomplishment, but it has become even more impressive in recent years. Nearly half of Americans say they’re living paycheck to paycheck, and housing prices have increased by a whopping 45%-55% over the past five years. 

Over two thirds of Americans now believe that homeownership is an unrealistic milestone for young adults to hit, and many Gen Zers can’t imagine a day when they’ll ever be able to purchase their own place.

So if you actually manage to buy a house nowadays, that is certainly something to be proud of. And it should be entirely up to you to decide who you’d like to share the news of that accomplishment with.

If you have a great relationship with your parents, you may not be able to even imagine making a significant life decision without consulting them first and keeping them in the loop every step of the way. But sadly, not all relationships are this healthy. 

A 2022 YouGov survey found that over a quarter of Americans are estranged from a family member, and 11% of Americans are no longer in contact with at least one of their parents. The majority also believes that parents are responsible for maintaining strong relationships with their children, but clearly, many are failing.

After all, it’s hard to want to share your accomplishments with a parent that doesn’t make you feel safe, loved and respected. According to Talkspace, there are several forms of toxic parents: dismissive, helicopter, narcissistic and passive or permissive.

While they each exhibit different behaviors, they can all take a huge toll on a person’s mental and physical health. Growing up with a toxic parent may put a person at higher risk of developing chronic mental health conditions, cardiovascular disease, a weak immune system, low self-esteem and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Woman leaning on dad by the lake, reflecting on important news and last attempt to share feelings.

Image credits: KaLisa Veer / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

Over a quarter of Americans are estranged from at least one family member

Many people who have toxic parents are also more likely to find themselves in unhealthy relationships in the future, develop s*******m tendencies and struggle to establish healthy, rewarding relationships as an adult.

But what more and more adults are realizing today is that there’s no need to keep someone in your life who constantly causes you pain, even if they happen to be your mother or father. And if you’re unsure about whether or not going “no contact” is the right move for you, Wondermind has some advice.

First, if you find yourself in a physically, emotionally or verbally ab*sive relationship, it’s time to get out. Or if spending time with this parent makes you self-destructive, it’s not a healthy relationship. You shouldn’t need an entire bottle of wine or a pack of cigarettes to get through a dinner with your mom or dad.

If your mental health deteriorates when you’re around your parents, it might be time to cut them off. And if they constantly overstep boundaries and refuse to take accountability, you should probably just accept that they’re never going to change. 

Once you’ve tried everything to make the relationship work and you’ve accepted the consequences that will come with going no contact, you are ready to set a solid boundary. And it doesn’t have to be permanent! But if it will improve your mental health, it will be worth it.

We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Do you think this woman made the right choice by keeping the purchase of her new home to herself? Feel free to weigh in. Then, you can find another Bored Panda article featuring similar family drama right here.  

Finally, she shared one last update explaining how her relationship with her father has changed

Woman sitting alone on a couch, looking thoughtful and distant, reflecting on not sharing important news with dad.

Image credits: pvproductions / Freepik (not the actual photo)

Text excerpt about woman not sharing important news with dad after last attempt, reflecting regret and family conflict.

Text excerpt discussing a woman’s failed attempt to share important news with dad and her feelings of being horribly wrong.

Text excerpt showing a woman explaining her camping plans and poor communication with her dad after last attempt.

Text excerpt showing a woman reflecting on a quiet lead-up to a visit and making other plans after no news from dad.

Text message received late on birthday mentioning being busy with the harvest and finally remembering to send wishes.

Young woman sitting in armchair, focused on phone, reflecting on not sharing important news with dad after last attempt.

Image credits: Gabrielle Henderson / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

Text excerpt showing a woman explaining she was annoyed but made excuses instead of sharing important news with dad.

Text message expressing regret from a woman about not sharing important news with dad after last attempt.

Alt text: Text expressing worry about someone flaking and its impact on kiddo's heart in a woman and dad story.

Text from woman explaining she cut all contact with dad due to abuse and demands he attend therapy and apologize.

Text excerpt about a woman not sharing important news with dad, expressing regret after her last attempt.

Older man with glasses talking on phone at home, reflecting a woman not sharing important news with dad after last attempt.

Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)

Text excerpt discussing a woman’s realization after not sharing important news with dad following a last attempt.

Text discussing woman’s conflict with dad about visiting schedule and not sharing important news after last attempt.

Text excerpt about a woman who doesn't share important news with dad after last attempt, expressing regret.

Text excerpt about a woman not sharing important news with her dad after a last attempt to communicate.

Woman explaining to child in an age-appropriate way why they can't see grandpa after last attempt to share important news.

Woman hugging child outdoors, showing emotional connection but hesitating to share important news with dad.

Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)

Alt text: Emotional message about a woman not sharing important news with dad after last attempt, reflecting deep regret and understanding.

Text excerpt reflecting a woman’s feelings after distancing from her dad, highlighting important news and regret.

Text excerpt about a woman feeling relieved after not sharing important news with dad following a last attempt.

Image credits: BigNo1547

Again, readers applauded the woman for standing up for herself

Reddit comments discussing emotional abuse and a woman not sharing important news with her dad after a last attempt.

Screenshot of an online comment by ChildfreeIntrovert expressing approval in response to a woman's difficult decision about sharing news with dad.

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