16-year-old maliciously complies with stepmom's rule after getting his driver's license: 'I can't drive ANYWHERE without permission? OK!'

Author image for Ben Weiss
Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
May 30, 2024 8:00 AM EDT

Sometimes, teenagers don't even need to disobey their parents in order to show them just how ridiculous they are acting. 

In this case, we have a ridiculous stepmother who decided to chastise the Redditor for driving to his friend's place briefly to show off his brand new driver's license. It's the kind of accomplishment you want to relay to your friends. This isn't just another "teenagers being silly" story; this is a case of "give the kid a break." Unfortunately, the stepmom from down below decided to enforce strict rules, which only made the teenager want to discover a loophole. Once he found out, he exploited it to no end and was able to get out of driving his annoying stepsister to her ballet class. 

Keep scrolling below for the full saga and for the best reactions from folks in the comments section. When you're done, check out this post about a piano technician's malicious compliance.

Advertisement
  • 01
    "I'll follow that rule... maliciously!"
    via G-R Mottez
  • 02
    I can't drive ANYWHERE without permission? OK, I'll follow that rule...Maliciously.
    via u/SDBeerGuy
  • 03
    This happened when I was 16 years old and just got my drivers' License. My parents had me run to the store to pick up some groceries. I stopped by my friend's house on the way back home for maybe 5 minutes to show him I got my license and I was out driving alone. It was a really fun moment in the life of a 16 year old.
    via u/SDBeerGuy
  • 04
    My stepmom Mary Ann freaked out. "We did not give you permission to drive to Bill's house! We told you to go to the store and that is ALL!" I told Mary Ann and my dad that they had let me drive to Matt's house the day before, so I didn't think it was a big deal.
    via u/SDBeerGuy
  • 05
    They went unreasonable and laid down the unbendable rule that set up the Malicious Compliance. "You are not allowed to drive anywhere we do not give explicit permission for you to drive. Period, end of sentence. Just because you were allowed to do it previously does not ever give you permission another time. Ever."
    via u/SDBeerGuy
  • 06
    Fast forward three days later. My 13 year old stepsister has been a j☐ to me all day, and I'm sick of her. She goes quiet for about 30 minutes and then comes out all sticky sweet. "Hey Brian, it's time to take me to ballet."
    via u/SDBeerGuy
  • 07
    I have taken her to ballet 3 days a week since I got my license. It's basically one of my chores. But I see my opportunity to say "Screw you!" to all three of them at once. "Sorry, Tina. I'm not allowed to take you to ballet. The parents didn't tell me to take you, and I don't want to get in trouble!"
    via u/SDBeerGuy
  • 08
    She screams, she cries, she begs, she threatens. She calls her mom and leaves a message. She calls my dad and leaves a message. Just like Steve Miller says, "Time keeps on slippin', into the future."
    via u/SDBeerGuy
  • 09
    I'm not sure I'm brave enough to hang on to the bitter end and actually go through with it. I'm shaking, but I know I've got them dead to rights. No call back from the parents and the clock goes on past the start of her class.
    via u/SDBeerGuy
  • 10
    Stepmom comes home and Tina runs to meet her. "Tina, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be at ballet!"
    via u/SDBeerGuy
  • 11
    I hear Tina tell her rendition of the story, leaving out how miserable she had been, and they go back and forth. Mary Ann comes pounding down the hall and yells (as God is my witness) "You just wait 'til your FATHER gets home!" I had to stifle a laugh because I never really believed people actually said that.
    via u/SDBeerGuy
  • 12
    An hour later Dad comes home and the TWO of them go running out to meet him and tell him how horrible I was. I wait in my room for the hammer to fall. About 10 minutes later my dad calls down the hall, "Brian, would you please come here and talk to us?"
    via u/SDBeerGuy
  • 13
    "Well, Brian, you did it." "What do you mean, Dad?" "You got us all, and there's absolutely nothing we can do about it. OK, let's make this reasonable for everyone..."
    via u/SDBeerGuy
  • 14
    And they did. They agreed that they were over-the-top. They recognized that Tina isn't always very nice to me, and they spoke to her about that. I was allowed to have reasonable freedom if I was driving somewhere, since I had good grades and had never been in trouble. I walked down the hall back to my room, my back to my parents, with the world's biggest grin on my face.
    via u/SDBeerGuy
  • 15
    Jealous_Lychee_3309 I was kind of hoping the story was that they specifically told you to go to the store but didn't specify that you were to come back home. So you sat in the store parking lot for hours
    via u/SDBeerGuy
  • 16
    AxelTheMournful · Oh, that's perfect. At least the dad recognized he f ☐ up.
    via u/SDBeerGuy
  • 17
    snappyland. Wow. that was not the ending I was expecting as I started reading your story! I'm glad your dad and stepmother saw your (quite reasonable, I think) point of view. (Sounds like your dad had your back, too.)
    via u/SDBeerGuy

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

family drama malicious compliance teenagers stepmom driving family reddit thread Reddit malicious compliance reddit drivers license
Scroll Down For The Next Article