And you know what, let’s talk with you today about ageism too. No, if you were expecting the story of how a random Gen X’er showed up for an interview and was rejected just because of their age (which is, of course, totally outrageous), then you are wrong. The fact is that ageism is actually a two-way street, and that people’s bias against young people is also a very common thing.

A few days ago, this post from the user u/ThrowRAheadinpain appeared on the AITA Reddit community, and in a very short time it gained over 10.3K upvotes and almost 650 comments. Quite a weighty reason to check the story, isn’t it? So let’s keep reading the tale…

The author of the post is 21 Y.O. and he is bringing up his 5 Y.O. daughter on his own

Image credits: Caleb Jones (not the actual photo)

The young man sincerely tries to be a decent dad in spite of the girl’s biological mom rarely showing up in their lives

Image credits: u/ThrowRAheadinpain

At a birthday party his kid attended, a lady approached the author and asked if he was the girl’s cousin or brother

Image credits: Lukas (not the actual photo)

Image credits: u/ThrowRAheadinpain

After receiving the answer that he was actually the dad, the woman asked if he ever planned to ‘slip’ as a parent

Image credits: Perfect Snacks (not the actual photo)

Image credits: u/ThrowRAheadinpain

The young dad turned all his sarcasm on, to which his interlocutor took serious offense

We have the story’s protagonist, aka Original Poster (OP), a 21-year-old guy, a single dad raising a 5 Y.O. daughter. Yes, it happens. And the author of the post, judging by his own words, does his best to be a decent father, especially since the girl’s biological mom basically tries, as the OP himself put it, to pursue the ‘normal 20s’, so she appears in their lives mostly for parties – for example, her child’s birthday and so on. Yes, that happens too.

However, at the birthday party where the events in the described story unfolded, Morgan’s mom (that’s the girl’s name, by the way) just wasn’t there, and the OP brought his daughter alone. At some point, when the kids were playing and having fun, the mother of one of the children approached him and, as part of the usual small talk, asked if he was Morgan’s cousin or an elder brother.

After receiving the answer that the author of the post is actually the girl’s dad, the lady thought for a while, and then in all seriousness asked if he even knew what he was doing. The OP honestly admitted that he takes it day by day, situation by situation. An absolutely reasonable answer, by the way, given that parenthood is primarily an experience that is acquired over time. But the author’s interviewee didn’t seem to think so, because her next question was about whether the young dad was planning to ‘slip’ as a parent.

In cases like this, sarcasm is the best weapon, and the original poster made full use of it. He admitted that yes, he has a plan. And basically, he thinks he would take Morgan to the nearest forest, tie a $20 bill to her wrist, wish her good luck with all his heart – and tell her to run free. The lady, of course, was immediately offended – after all, she was quite seriously interested in the interlocutor’s plans, and here he is joking! Well, the OP just calmly went over to his daughter, gave her a big hug and said that he loved her. ‘I love you 3000’, as another girl named Morgan used to tell her dad… Probably the best ending to the story, right?

Image credits: Edi Libedinsky (not the actual photo)

“Of course, the interlocutor of the story hero behaved completely inappropriately, guided by some of her own thoughts and stereotypes,” says Irina Matveeva, a psychologist and certified NLP specialist, with whom Bored Panda got in touch for a comment on this situation. “Yes, many young parents sometimes behave quite irresponsibly, but this is by no means a reason to spread this stereotype to everyone you meet.”

“As for this dad’s answer, it was quite witty and if his interlocutor were a little more tactful, she would also turn the conversation into a joke and not expose herself to complete ridicule. In any case, my respect to this dad for his restraint, decent behavior throughout all these years, and for a maturity that is often lacking even for people who are old enough to be his own father,” Irina summarizes.

The vast majority of people in the comments are in full solidarity with the expert, openly applauding the endurance and sense of humor of the original poster. And, of course, his attitude to life and parenthood. “Kudos to you, because I have no patience and would’ve told her to go screw [herself],” one commenter sincerely confessed – in his own words, a dad in his 50s, by the way. “It’s not about age.”

And, of course, commenters also noted that many people bring their value judgments to where they are not wanted at all. “People need to mind their own business,” one of the folks in the comments wrote, to which the author of the post reasonably replied: “Should’ve asked her why she felt so inclined to get on my case.” Anyway, many people do act extremely cavalier and honestly offended when they are politely but firmly put in their place. By the way, if you have ever faced or witnessed such a situation from your own experience, please feel free to share your tale in the comments as well.

People in the comments unanimously sided with the dad, praising his wit and attitude to life at all

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