Why, why, why do birthdays cause so much drama? In the last couple of months, we’ve seen a mother-in-law pick a fight over canned nacho cheese, sisters-in-law fighting over who should pay for parties, and a mom yelling at a kid for gifting “broken” toys. Will there ever be a post on the “Am I the A—hole” subreddit where someone asks if they are wrong to have had a blissful and loving birthday party filled with good cheer and gratitude?
Well, after the latest bit of birthday bullsh*t, there’s no way we’re holding our breath.
One teen hopped on Reddit to tell the internet about the “nice thrifted hoodie” they bought as their dad’s birthday gift.
“I am a fan of thrifting as you can get nice clothes for cheap and you also don’t hurt the environment,” the high schooler wrote.
Yes and yes!
“I told my dad that I thrifted the hoodie and he freaked out. He said that it is disgusting to wear clothes that other people have worn and that I could get him something cheap but new or nothing at all.”
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We are over here seething and happy to take this dad up on the “nothing at all” offer, but as you probably guessed, this thoughtful teen is far from petty. They said they washed the hoodie “even though clothes are already washed and disinfected at the thrift store.” A lot of commenters were quick to point out that that is not always the case, but this teen really is considerate if they decided to clean it again.
“He still said that it was dirty and that I am an a—hole because that hoodie could be harmful to his health,” OP wrote.
Harmful to his health? Harmful to his health?! Come on, Dad. Save the dramatics for the cameras. If you want to put on a show, pretend you like the gift. Redditors called this dad “aggressively unappreciative” and said that even if he didn’t like the gift, he could have thanked his kid and moved on. He could put it in the back of the closet and wear it once in a blue moon with another shirt underneath if he really is that skeeved.
“It doesn’t take a lot to fake-like a gift,” one person said.
Louder! Louder for the people in the back! Louder to get through to this dense dad!
“As a mom of teens, I’d be over the moon if they spent their own time and money to choose something specifically for me,” one Redditor wrote. “You did good, OP. I’m sorry your father acted like an ungrateful a—hole.”
“A high school student going out of their way to get their dad a present with their own money, and this is his reaction? Does he not know how lucky he is to have a teen that would actually get him a gift?” another asked.
A lot of people conceded that yes, above all, this father shouldn’t have reacted the way he did. And yet, a lot of them gave him a free pass saying that he’s allowed to have “certain comfort levels” and that he shouldn’t have to “reevaluate his value system” to enjoy a present.
Ha! Time for you to reevaluate your value system, Redditor, because the next generation (Yes, props to Gen Z!) begs to differ. OP’s dad — and so many others — needs to cut the holier-than-thou crap and start thinking about why he is so appalled by thrifting clothes. Is it really about cleanliness? It’s not like his child bought him underwear or a toothbrush. There is nothing wrong with these clothes. There’s no Big Bad Reason why clothes end up at the thrift store.
“Most of the used clothes are from people who outgrew them or had no space for them,” one user wrote.
Simple as that. And was his problem really that it was secondhand? Or was it that it was “just” a hoodie? One commenter wants to know if Dad would have the same reaction if his teen had found expensive jewelry or a watch. And we want to know, if the store had been called a “vintage shop,” or if his child had been to an “estate sale,” how would Dad have felt? We’re going to go out on a limb and say there are hints of classism at play given the stigma surrounding thrift stores and those who shop there out of financial necessity.
But good for this high schooler for recognizing how beneficial it is to shop secondhand. Who cares if other stores have cheap alternatives? Thrifting reduces waste and discourages fast fashion. One commenter “applauds” this teen for “doing life right,” and another said OP is “NTA because recycling is the future.”
“[The hoodie] is vintage, it’s ecologic, it’s economic,” one Redditor said. “[Dad’s] reaction to your effort was WAY out of line.”
“Next time, maybe he only gets a card for his birthday because he doesn’t want you using your ingenuity to get him a cool gift that doesn’t cost the earth,” another wrote.
“Question do you have siblings?? If so did you get their hand-me-downs?” one person asked, pointing out a possibly hypocritical parent.
And yet another proponent pointed out that finances aside, thrifting is just plain fun.
“My family sometimes has a rule at Christmas where gifts have to be from charity shops and be below a certain cost threshold,” they explained. “It makes things fun and means we have to get creative while raising money for good causes and sparing our wallets. Sorry, but your dad needs to take a chill pill.”
Before you go, check out these unbelievable stories about Reddit’s worst dads.
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