When you first come into the world, your parents are the very first people who are there for you. They celebrate your arrival, shower you with love, and promise that they’ll always have your back. But unfortunately, that promise is often broken, and kids sometimes grow up to realize that the only person they can truly rely on is themself.
One man who spent his entire life being treated as second best has finally decided that he’s not interested in continuing a relationship with his father. But apparently, his dad won’t give up without a fight. Below, you’ll find the full story that the 19-year-old shared on Reddit, as well as some of the replies invested readers left him.
Parents should always be there for their kids, no matter what happens
Image credits: cottonbro studio/Pexels (not the actual photo)
But after a lifetime of feeling overlooked, this man finally decided that he's done with his dad
Image credits: PNW Production/Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Kindel Media/Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Mikhail Nilov/Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Lindoleddio
Later, the author responded to several readers and added more details about his situation
Only 53% of young adults have a great relationship with their father
There are billions of people on this planet, and probably thousands of different dynamics people have with their parents. Some grew up in households where their mom was considered their best friend, and rules were never strictly enforced. Meanwhile, others grew up terrified of coming home a minute after curfew, because it meant that they might be grounded for a month.
According to a 2024 survey from the Pew Research Center, 59% of young adults say that their relationship with their parents is excellent or very good. And 69% say that they can be their true self around their parents.
Nearly a third of young people even say that they rely heavily on their parents for emotional support, and the majority go to them from time to time for advice. It’s also the norm for young adults to keep in touch with their parents a few times a week, or even once a day.
But people tend to have different opinions on their mother versus their father. While 63% consider their relationship with their mom to be excellent or very good, only 53% can say the same about their dad.
Nearly a quarter report that their relationship with their dad is fair or poor, compared to only 14% who would say the same about their mother. Young women are also 13% more likely to say that they can be their true self all of the time around their mother than around their father.
One of the reasons why young adults tend to view their mothers more positively may be that a quarter of children in the United States grow up without a father in their home. But even if he is around, that doesn’t mean that he’s doing a great job.
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Many adults choose to be estranged from their parents due to trauma they experienced during childhood
Dads certainly aren’t the only parents who make mistakes, but counselor Elisabetta Franzoso says there are a variety of types of fathers who damage their children. These include the absent dad, the divorced dad, the distant dad, the critical dad, the rejecting/neglecting dad, the unfaithful dad, the abandoner dad, the narcissistic dad, and more.
Our parents have a significant impact on how our personalities develop and how we form relationships and attachments in adulthood, so it’s common to experience challenges if your father wasn’t always there for you.
For example, having an absentee father, having unhealthy close bonds with your father, or experiencing inappropriate behavior in childhood might cause a person to develop “daddy issues” that will impact them for the rest of their life.
And if the relationship is too complicated or painful, some adults choose to cut off contact completely. In fact, a 2025 YouGov survey found that 38% of Americans are currently estranged from a family member, and 16% are estranged from a parent.
As for those who are currently estranged from a parent, 39% say they would not be willing to reconcile. And the most common reasons why people cut off contact with a parent are manipulative behaviors, abandonment or neglect, lies or betrayal, and personality conflicts.
After spending their entire life trying to make a relationship work, sometimes people realize that it’s just not meant to be. We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Do you think this man was right to finally set boundaries with his father? Feel free to weigh in, and then you can find another Bored Panda article discussing similar family drama right here.
The majority of readers assured the author that he had every right to cut off his dad
However, some thought that he should give his father some grace
