35 Cringey Dad Moments That Show Toxic Parenting At Its Worst

We all have those family moments that make us question reality, but some folks are taking it to a whole new level by sharing the wildest, most cringe-worthy interactions with their toxic dads.

If you’ve ever wondered just how strange family dynamics can get, buckle up. These screenshots and stories are a rollercoaster of bizarre text exchanges and questionable parenting moments.


1.

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2. “My Stepdad Gave My PC Away To Goodwill. He Said I Waste My Time On It And I Should Be An Auto Mechanic Instead Of Going To College For Computer Science. I Spent Like $800 On That PC”

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3. “My Father Tries To Say He Put Me Through College. My $1,000 Monthly Loan Payments Say Otherwise”

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4. “Once A Month From My Dad”

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5. “My Dad Is Sending Me To Boot Camp This Month Because I Didn’t Get My Hair Cut The Way He Wanted. I Was Sobbing In The Back Of My Work When He Sent Me These Messages”

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7. “My Father Tracking Me While I’m On A Date”

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8. “Insane Dad”

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9. “Dad Decided To Tear My Room Down While I’m Away At College. He Also Threw All Of My Stuff Away Without Asking”

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10. “I’m A Recovering Alcoholic Who Just Moved Into A New Apartment. This Is What My Dad Left Me”

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11. “Last Year’s Thanksgiving With Dad Brought This Out. Not The First Time He’s Made Comments Like This, And I Was Told I Was Gross For Getting Upset”

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12. “That’s Probably Not The Only One”

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13. “For The First Time In My Life, I Stood Up To My Psycho Dad. His Response Was To Cut Me Out Of His Will”

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14. “My Dad Thinks He Is Entitled To My Money (Which I Don’t Have Much Of) Because ‘It’s Christmas'”

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15. “My Dad Volunteered Me To Read At Church At 6 AM. He Also Refuses To Use My New Name”

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16. “My Dad Still Thinks I’m 13”

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17. “My Father Sent A Video To A Group Chat With Me And My Brother Of A Guy Smashing His Kid’s TV Because They Forgot Their Chores”

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18. “I Went Out Of The House For A Bike Ride, And When I Came Back, Dad Locked Me Out Of The House. Luckily, I Had A Back Door Key, But He Physically Forced Me Out Of My Own Home”

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19. “My Girlfriend Got These From Her Dad Last Night After Not Answering One Phone Call. Things Like This Happen At Least A Few Times A Month With Her Parents”

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20. “Texted Dad For The First Time In A While To Ask A Simple Question. That Was A Mistake”

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21. “Stepdad Ate My Only Food I Had For Lunch At Work”

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22. “My Dad Called Me Almost 350 Times, Then Decided To Use A Relative’s Recent Death As Leverage. This Is Over Me Packing For School”

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23. “My Dad Always Knows How To Make Me Feel Guilty For Things I Shouldn’t Have To Feel Guilty Over”

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24. “I Am 22 Years Old, Living On My Own With My Husband, And My Dad Still Tries To Control What I Do”

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25. “Gross Text My Girlfriend’s Dad Sent. He Almost Never Contacts Her And Sent This Out Of The Blue. He Never Replied”

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26. “My Dad Always Insults My Appearance In Pictures, So I Deleted His Comments. A Man Child”

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27. “Dad Decided To Throw My Boots Away Because They’re In The ‘Middle’ Of The Way”

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28. “23 And Can’t Spend Time With My Boyfriend, Without Dad Constantly Threatening To Come To His House”

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29. “Dad Bruises My Arm After Losing His Temper. He’s Not Very Remorseful”

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30. “Didn’t Give My Dad 150$ For Beer. He Must Have Found Some Money Somewhere, Because He Drunk Texted Me This Lovely Mess”

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31. “Gotta Love My Homophobic Dad. I Wasn’t Even Intentionally Making An LGBTQ+ Design, Just Wanted A Rainbow”

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32. “I Turned Off My Location Services For My Own Privacy. My Dad, Citing Safety Reasons, Turned Off My Wireless Data Until I Share My Location”

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33. “A Text From My Father, Who Has Blamed Me For All Of His Marriage Problems With My Mom Since I Was 9 Years Old. He Sent Me This Gem While My Husband Was Deployed”

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34. “I’m So Glad My Dad Is Finally Paying Attention To Me”

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35. “How Do I React To This From My Dad?”

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Nate

Nate Armbruster

When he's not doomscrolling Twitter or writing for Pleated-Jeans, Nate Armbruster writes jokes—and then tells them on stage as a stand-up comedian, where he can watch audiences (hopefully) laugh in real-time.