A dad who was slammed online for not paying his daughter's university fees, despite already paying for his sons', has had a revelation - and admitted he was wrong.
The father initially took to Reddit for advice when his 21-year-old daughter called Jane told him she'd been accepted into university to do an English degree.
He went on to say that while he and his wife were pleased for her, they wouldn't be funding her degree - even though they'd paid for both their sons to go.
The 54-year-old explained that her brothers had opted for "medical degrees are now very good, well-paid doctors", and if Jane wanted to apply for university, she should make sure it "was for a degree that was worth it".
In the viral post, he wrote: "I sat down Jane last night and told her that if she decided to go through with the English degree, I would not support her at all and that she would have to take out her own student loan.
"At this she began crying claiming that I was the 'worst dad ever' and had always favoured her brothers over her (because I had paid for their university fees)."
Redditors were quick to lash out at the dad calling him "unfair" and "judgemental" for trying to choose his daughter's career.
"If you pay for one kid, you should pay for all kids. And to determine that what she's interested in is 'not worth it' is a jerk move. Let your kid study what she wants," someone said.
Another agreed: "You're punishing her for not fitting your very niche ideal of a 'successful' adult."
After reading all of the responses, the father shared a follow-up post three weeks later to admit that he was "in the wrong".
He brought up the topic of degrees with Jane and she confessed that she was "ready to take one of the degrees he'd recommended" - but he told her there was no need.
"She looked at me as if I was playing a cruel joke, I reassured her that I was being serious and she began crying (due to happiness)," he said.
"I realised that I may have been favouring my sons due to their obedience to follow what I asked of them, and [I] was punishing Jane for being herself."
The dad added that Jane "will be attending Oxford University" this year and the relationship between them has "never been better".
He finished: "I am highly appreciative of all the comments on my previous post, they helped me see how much I was prioritising financial gain over my daughter's well-being, something which should have never been a question in the first place."
What would you do in this situation? Let us know in the comments.
