You know what they say: “Embrace your quirks, for they are what make you unique!” Well, while this is a sure good thing to follow – this dad might’ve taken it a tad overboard.
The author of today’s post, u/MetalPlayer666, had finally had enough of her father’s habit of always expecting others to end phone calls and decided to let him hang for almost an hour, which most likely cost him an arm and a leg, considering that he resides abroad.
This dad, who lives abroad, never hangs up first and expects others to terminate the phone calls
Image credits: Alex Green (not the actual photo)
His daughter receives a call from him while busy with chores and requests that he end it himself
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Liliana Drew (not the actual photo)
Image credits: MetalPlayer666
“I let my father pay for an hour-long phone call he was too lazy to terminate” – this internet user took to one of Reddit’s most vengeful communities to tell its members a tale of how she managed to get sweet revenge on her ‘entitled’ dad who always expects others to end the call. The post garnered over 6K upvotes as well as 163 comments discussing the situation.
Family is everything – it’s, well, inarguable!
You get unconditional love and support, a sense of safety and security; your loved ones immensely contribute to your growth and development, help in times of need, and all the other good things. However, family doesn’t have to be your parents or any blood relatives per se, as not all are this picture-perfect.
We know that we can’t choose our parents, but what we can choose is whether we want to work on the dynamic to have a go at potentially fixing any underlying issues.
Open communication, active listening, boundaries, quality time, education and resources, or in some less intense cases – petty revenge, perhaps?
Having a father who is both “very grandiose” and “entitled” is not for the weak and, as it turns out, at times, even calls for creative approaches. u/MetalPlayer666, the daughter of a man who, oddly enough, has something against ending phone calls himself, had finally reached her boiling point when her dad refused to hang up while she was hands-deep in cleaning supplies.
So, knowing that he resides abroad, the woman decided not to touch the phone and to let his wallet deal with the consequences and any international rates – and since we know that the OP is most likely Slovenian with a father who works just over the border, we can assume that the call came from Croatia, Austria, Hungary or Italy.
To our best knowledge, a call from Hungary to Europe costs 87.24 Hungarian forints, and from Austria and Italy – it’s around 4.9 cents. Therefore, if we convert it to US dollars, the man would have paid anywhere from 3 to over 14 bucks for an hour-long call!
But hey, it’s not the money – it’s the pettiness that matters.
The man pretends not to hear, so she leaves him hanging until he finally ends the call an hour later
Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual photo)
Now, to get a more professional outlook on this situation, Bored Panda reached out to Zara O’Brien – a person-centered counselor with an online practice supporting individuals with a diverse range of needs, such as self-esteem, anger, anxiety, low mood, neurodiversity, life transitions, and relationship difficulties!
First, we asked our expert how she would approach helping an individual explore their feelings of frustration, anger, and resentment towards their father’s entitlement and behavior: “As a Person-Centered Counselor, I would start by creating a safe and non-judgmental environment for the individual to express their emotions. Empathetic listening is key, and I would reflect back their feelings to validate them. Exploring the root causes of these emotions and helping them connect them to specific behaviors and situations is crucial for understanding their feelings better.”
Next, we pondered how a person can set and maintain boundaries with entitled family members in a way that promotes healthier interactions, and Zara replied: “In a therapeutic session, we would begin by identifying the individual’s personal boundaries and values. Once those are clear, I would help the individual consider how it would be for them to be more assertive and to communicate their boundaries effectively. Encouraging open and honest conversations with their entitled family member is a significant step in setting boundaries. Self-care practices and managing expectations about the family member’s behavior can also contribute to maintaining these boundaries.”
Last but certainly not least, the professional added: “It’s important to emphasize that the person-centered approach prioritizes the autonomy and self-discovery of the client. The client ultimately makes choices aligned with their values and well-being, with the counselor’s role being that of a facilitator in this process.”
So, Pandas, with our expert’s commentary in mind, what do you think about the Redditor’s story?
Fellow online community members shared their thoughts and opinions on the situation
Image credits: MART PRODUCTION (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Zen Chung (not the actual photo)
