Dad refuses to throw 26-year-old daughter a graduation party after she got her GED, claims she should've graduated at 18: 'She's not a good person'

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Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Jun 4, 2024 8:00 PM EDT

Accomplishments don't always happen right on time. You're supposed to get your driver's license at 16, graduate from high school at 18, graduate college at 22, and get married and have kids before you're 40, but we all know that doesn't always happen at those ages or in that order. Just because you don't graduate with other people your age doesn't diminish the accomplishment. 

One father recently went viral for denying his daughter's request for a graduation party. She dropped out of high school, went down a bad path, and got her GED at age 26. His reasons for not wanting to throw such an event are many and varied. He knows most of the family wouldn't show up because of her past behavior, and he dislikes her friends. He doesn't consider getting a GED "graduating," and he thinks that she should've graduated 8 years ago. Nobody can seem to agree whether he's the bad guy. 

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10356838144
    via Izzy Park
  • 02
    AITA for refusing to hold a graduation party for my daughter for getting her GED
    via u/West_Visual781
  • 03
    I will try to keep this as short as possible. My middle daughter has always struggled with academics. She was in the average classes usally getting a C or B. In highschool it got harder and she went through a lot of tutoring. When she was 17, she almost failed out. She had been tested before but it came back with nothing.
    via u/West_Visual781
  • 04
    We learned at that time that she decided to stop, she wasn't turning stuff in and told us there was no point since she doesn't do well academically. She also had a huge resentment at the time for her younger sister that was academically inclined.
    via u/West_Visual781
  • 05
    She turned 18 and refused to go to school and dropped out. After this she spiral and ruined a lot of relationships with friends and family. She had an addiction. Her three siblings do not speak with her and my wife doesn't interact with her. That's a whole different story but in short she stole a lot of money.
    via u/West_Visual781
  • 06
    She is now 26 and back on track. She called me asking me to host a graduation party since she got her GED. That I did it for the rest of the kids I told her no for three main reasons. The first being she isn't a graduating, she got her GED. No one will show up, she has screwed almost all of the family so they won't go and her friends are shady so I don't want to invite them. My last is that she is 26 and this was suppose to happen when she was 18. She called me a
    via u/West_Visual781
  • 07
    many_hobbies_gal . 1 day ago NTA, but I might offer a compromise, she needs to try to make ammends with the family. If she does then I might offer a nice dinner out with the immediate family or those willing to go.> Her accomplishment deserves to be recognized but she also has some work to do. Sounds like until now things have been pretty toxic.
    via u/many_hobbies_gal
  • 08
    West_Visual781 OP 1 day ago edited 1 day ago I really do not want to add pressure to the other kids to go to a dinner. Me asking them or inviting them will do that That seems really unfair since they are not in contact with her Maybe just an offer to go to dinner with me, even I am unsure about that since we only talk by phone. I don't think I would be comfortable in person due to past behavior
    via u/West_Visual781
  • 09
    Hmmmmmm2023 23 hr. ago NTA at this point she has not gotten over her issues. If she thinks at 26 she needs a grad party she hasn't matured enough. Glad she's getting her life together but she needs to focus on herself and mending relationships not try to force you to make it happen. Sad-
    via u/Hmmmmmm2023
  • 10
    Wandering_aimlessly9 21 hr. ago When my aunt got her GED she was probably around 30. We all went and celebrated her as she walked across the stage and got the ged then went out to dinner. It's an accomplishment even if it's coming late.
    via u/Wandering_aimlessly9
  • 11
    Usrname52 23 hr. ago ESH She's not entitled to a party. She's not entitled to you spending money on her. She's not entitled to relationships with her siblings that she hurt/alienated.
    via u/Usrname52
  • 12
    But you're an AH. Instead of being proud of her achievement, and her turning things around, you told her "This isn't important, you should have graduated at 18". People celebrate achievements all the time...milestones in life or things they are proud of.
    via u/Usrname52
  • 13
    Princess-She-ra · 23 hr. ago Exactly. I dropped out of college for reasons (nothing terrible, just life). And I went back in my 40s and graduated with a decent GPA while working full time and raising a child. While I didn't need or want a celebration, my father and my son were there to cheer me on.
    via u/Princess-She-ra
  • 14
    Your daughter obviously had struggles and while this may not be the life you envisioned for her, this is still a huge deal for her. Yes she's 26, but at the same time she's 26 - and she has a lifetime ahead of her to change her life. Be proud of where she is now. ESH
    via u/Princess-She-ra
  • 15
    tsukaimeLoL 23 hr. ago Yeah, like, she's not entitled to it, and this probably wasn't the way to communicate it, but she's trying to do better, and you just kicked her in the gut instead of just buying a simple cake or something and being there for her.
    via u/tsukaimeLoL
  • 16
    Ferracoasta 22 hr. ago I cant agree more. Getting GED is also an ACHIEVEMENT. Heck people celebrate birthdays and its not even an achievement its just being older.
    via u/Ferracoasta
  • 17
    AlexandraG94 · 18 hr. ago I mean getting clean was not even bigger achievement ans it's an achievement she has to reach every single day. To dismiss that and her getting her life back on track as it is a GED not a normal high-school at 18 is ridiculous to me. And it seems like he told her that. For me that is behavior. The part about people not coming is a separate fair point.
    via u/AlexandraG94
  • 18
    Trevena_Ice 1 day ago INFO: Does she want the celebration because she finaly gets her live back on track and wants to be celebrated for that. Or does she wants it because being celebrated means, she gets money.
    via u/Trevena_Ice
  • 19
    If first soft YTA. Your arguments are valide, yes. But she is still your daugther and seems to be getting better (and wants to share that with her dad?). So maybe do some small celebration for that. If there is no one who would attend, maybe invite her just to a dinner or some amusement park she would enjoy. If it is the second NTA.
    via u/Trevena_Ice
  • 20
    West Visual781 OP 1 day ago I don't know. She didn't give me a response to me asking why she wanted one
    via u/West_Visual781
  • 21
    Trevena_Ice 1 day ago But you know your daugther. What kind of person is she (lately)?
    via u/Trevena_Ice
  • 22
    West_Visual781 OP 1 day ago She's not a good person. She has been back on track for like 4 months. I don't want to think the worse of her but she has a lot of bad history and not very long that she has been back on track It's not like it's been a few year since her bad behavior
    via u/West_Visual781

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family drama dads graduation siblings daughters parenting Party dad fatherdaughter ged graduation party family sibling daughter parents Father
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