Dad Won’t Have Dinner With Daughter Who Dropped Out of College Until She Has ‘Something to Celebrate’

A man on Reddit sparked a debate after he revealed he won't throw a dinner for his daughter until she "has something to celebrate."

"My daughter is 20 and dropped out of college. My son is graduating college this year. I was asking him what he wanted to do for graduating. My youngest also just got into the honor society in high school so we are going for dinner soon. So really everyone is doing something and I noticed my daughter getting more upset when other people bring up their accomplishments," he began.

"She lives at home, and sadly she hasn’t had much going on in the accomplishment area. Her birthday just passed which we did celebrate but that is not the same as getting dinner or something for an accomplishment. I know it is rough for her," he continued.

When his daughter recently told him she wanted a "celebration dinner," he asked, "For what?" and she didn't give him an answer.

"I told her we will only do a celebration dinner when she has something to celebrate. This started an argument where she thinks I am not being fair and everyone else is getting celebrated. I told her it is fair and she will get celebrated when she has an accomplishment," he concluded, adding his daughter called him a "jerk."

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In the comments, Reddit users offered their opinions about how the dad should proceed with his relationship with his daughter.

"You're not being unfair. However, She isn't necessarily asking for a dinner per se. She wants to feel supported and like she is a worthwhile human being. Are you doing anything to help her better her situation?" one person asked.

"Well [not the a--hole] because a celebration dinner would require something to celebrate. With that said, I think this could be an opportunity to have a heart to heart with her about her own situation. Tell her you'd love to have a celebration dinner for her, and you look forward to her next accomplishment where you can do so. Acknowledge that you know it can be hard to see siblings have their own successes when you're struggling, but that can also be used as fuel/inspiration to figure out your own next steps and get proactive," another chimed in.

"I don’t think she necessarily wants to be celebrated for nothing, but having others’ accomplishments spotlighted is making her feel worse about her own situation. She’s probably not sure how to articulate it, because it is a complex emotion and a lot of people don’t like verbalizing their own shortcomings. Right now, her self-worth is probably not great, and she’s probably more aware than you realize of how she’s fallen behind compared to her siblings," someone else commented.