In a perfect world, parents are always responsible, take great care of their kids, and model good behavior. But there is no such thing as a perfect world, and sometimes kids have it together better than their parents. Growing up is hard enough, but when you have to worry about keeping your parents in line, it can make life extremely frustrating.
A recent high school graduate was on a Caribbean cruise with their parents and had to show them a little tough love. They wrote about the experience in Reddit's AITA forum and explained that the parents were on an excursion and didn't seem to care that they would miss the boat's departure.
The original poster warned them that the ship would leave, but they didn't listen. The teen followed the rules and was on the boat on time, but their parents were left behind. Who's the jerk?
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The trip was supposed to be a celebration.
OP explained that they graduated from high school in December, and the cruise was a graduation gift and 18th birthday celebration. The family is well-traveled but has never cruised before. OP explained to their parents that cruises were different and that they had to abide by the rules of the ship.
"Well it was a week-long cruise and they would not head back to the ship when I said it was time to go. They were busy shopping and bargaining with the locals. I finally said that I was heading back to the ship. My mom waved me off. The missed the departure. By a lot. Like 45 minutes. They got ahold of me through WhatsApp. They wanted to know why I didn't get the boat to wait for them," OP explained.
OP's parents were upset.
They didn't seem to understand why they wouldn't hold the ship for them and were upset that they missed the boat.
The teen wrote, "I wanted to scream that they were not going to inconvenience 3,998 people because two could not understand what a schedule was. They ended up having to fly to the next port from there and it was expensive. They are pissed at me for leaving them behind."
OP regrets the whole thing and wonders if they are wrong for being upset with their parents.
Redditors felt like these are some entitled adults.
It's not like they were just asking OP to wait; they wanted to inconvenience thousands of cruisers.
One person wrote: "NTA. In addition to you explaining that the ship will not wait for them, I am sure they were made aware of this by the cruise workers many times. They chose to ignore the guidelines and as a result had to face the consequences of their actions. That's what being an adult is, and they seem immature and narcissistic for trying to shift the blame onto you for their poor decision making skills."
One person wondered what OP's childhood looked like. "Let me guess," they commented. "As a kid, were you made to wait at and hold up a long line at the grocery checkout while your mom is still shopping? Parents like yours drive me up the wall. NTA."
And this person had a suggestion: "You may want to read Adult Children Of Emotionally Immature Parents.. NTA. And happy belated birthday!"
Many felt like OP is more of an adult than their parents.
They definitely appeared to be more mature.
One person wrote: "NTA. You learned something from your education, your parents should be proud that you've learned to be logical, realistic, and thoughtful of others (nearly 4K of them). To expect the cruise ship to wait for them is an arrogant, entitled, and prideful expectation."
Another agreed commenting: "NTA. At first, I was wondering why an 18yo had made the demands you made, but by the end of it, I see why. You are parenting your parents, and they are irresponsible, self-centered AHs who not only didn't take responsibility for their own actions, they made your gift a miserable experience."
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There was no question to Redditors who was in the wrong.
It was 100% the parents acting like jerks. OP did their best and should not be held responsible for their irresponsible parent's actions. Several people pointed out that OP's parents are lucky they didn't stick around any longer.
Like this person who wrote, "NTA. Your parents are acting entitled. Tell them you saved them the expense of a third ticket to the next port."
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