16-year-old maliciously complies with "unreasonable" stepmom's driving rules, refuses to take 13-year-old stepsister to dance practice: 'Sorry Tina, I'm not allowed to take you to ballet'

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Aug 3, 2025 11:00 AM EDT

In many families, one parent is the strict one, while the other gets to be the "cool parent." Ideally, you have at least one cool parent — we all know that having strict parents just creates sneaky kids. But what happens when a family grows, and stepparents are now involved? It becomes a whole different relationship dynamic. The kids could wind up with even more strict parents to boss them around!

A lot of teens disagree with their parents over driving rules, and this 16-year-old was no exception. Teens want to be allowed to drive late at night, ride around with 5 friends in the car, or drive 40 miles out of the way just because they can. Parents are horrified by these kinds of things, though. All the teenager wants is a fun time, but their Mom and Dad (or stepparents, in this case) are sat at home worrying about what their new-driver kiddo is up to. 

Up next, have a laugh at the retail employee who bought 240 plastic ducks and hid 122 of them all around the store when an auditor was visiting: "He couldn't even keep a straight face." 

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  • 01
    oo
    via Vitor Monthay on Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 02
    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. My stepmom Mary Ann freaked out. "We did not give you permission to drive to Bill's
    via u/SDB***Guy
  • 03
    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. 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
    via u/SDB***Guy
  • 04
    it previously does not ever give you permission another time. Ever." Fast forward three days later. My 13 year old stepsister has been a j to me all day, and I'm sick of her BS. She goes quiet for about 30 minutes and then comes out all sticky sweet. "Hey Brian, it's time to take me to ballet." I have taken her to ballet 3 days a week since I got my license. It's basically one of my chores. But I
    via u/SDB***Guy
  • 05
    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!" 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." I'm not sure I'm brave
    via u/SDB***Guy
  • 06
    enough to hang on to the bitter end and actually go through with it. I'm shaking, but I know I've got them de d to rights. No call back from the parents and the clock goes on past the start of her class. Stepmom comes home and Tina runs to meet her. "Tina, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be at ballet!" I hear Tina tell her rendition of the story, leaving out how miserable
    via u/SDB***Guy
  • 07
    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. 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
    via u/SDB***Guy
  • 08
    minutes later my dad calls down the hall, "Brian, would you please come here and talk to us?" "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/SDB***Guy
  • 09
    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/SDB***Guy
  • 10
    AxelTheMournful Oh, that's perfect. At least the dad recognized he fed up.
    via u/AxelTheMournful
  • 11
    m. Los Angeles
    via Vitor Monthay via Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 12
    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/snappyland
  • 13
    CDM2017 Man, when my stepmother said "just wait until your father gets home" it never ended well for me. I'm glad he saw the real issue and understood what you were doing. That's some solid parenting there.
    via u/CDM2017
  • 14
    thoughtfulspiky Yes! Glad your dad recognized you got them good and instead of blowing up/being punitive, he realized they had been unreasonable and adapted. Good job on your dad.
    via u/thoughtfulspiky

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teens step parent teenagers siblings stepmom driving driver raising teens sister parents
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