Adult daughter goes no contact after entitled dad demands she repay him $2k child support: 'He just took my sister on a week long trip to Bali'

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Aug 8, 2025 9:00 AM EDT

It is an unfortunate truth that there are a great number of parents out there who do not live up to the job description of being a parent, and more often than not, that is something that their kids have to deal with for the rest of their lives. Many display the kind of behavior that means the only respite their children are going to have from them is if they choose to go no contact, and that can be easier said than done.

These types of people are often not so great at managing other areas of their lives, not just parenthood, and it can be their kids who suffer for that, too. Plenty of deadbeat parents decide that their adult children are the best resource when it comes to getting money, and being on the receiving end of such a request can add a lot of pressure to an already strained relationship.

Refusal may not always be easy, but it is frequently the best option. It isn't worth giving back to those who barely gave to you in the first place.

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  • a woman sits in a booth in a diner propping her head up with her hands
    via Liz Fitch

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

  • This was how one woman felt after her father demanded she pay him back for the child support that he gave her mother while she was growing up. As she had a job as a restaurant supervisor, he reasoned she must have the money.

    She refused, not only because she was opposed to the idea but also because she knew he had just recently taken her younger sister on vacation abroad. She chose to cut contact with him, and vented her frustrations.

  • My dad told me I should pay him back for the child support

    Tldr; my dad thought I was rich so he wanted me to pay him back the $2k (at most) my mother 'stole' from him each year for child support of 2 kids. (We did week on, week off). I'm a bit fuzzy on the details now (blocked memorys and all that) but I remember one day after working at a restaurant from 630am to 6pm - no lunch, barista, bartender, server and dishpig- my dad cornered me and said since I was So Ritch (I wasn't. I was a manager making less then the junior staff) I should pay him back on
    via ammyamyammy
  • He then showed me the letters he kept, and with the way he went on and on over the year, I expected it to be thousands per month. Sure I went to private school- but they chose to send me there before they even got divorced. The plan had originally been to go there from pre primary but I (they?) missed the cut off so I went from year 7-12. Also, the cost for the school was done separately- outside of child support.
    via ammyamyammy
  • an older bald man with a moustache sits on the beach
    via Natalia Blauth (Unsplash+)

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

  • So what it was used for was; uniforms, swimming lessons, healthcare/Medicare, phone plan (untill I turned 16. Then I paid for my own with help from mum to top it off occasionally as I used my phone as a hotspot so my sister could do homework; dad didn't want to pay for wifi as we would "waste it"-long story). The rest they delt with on their own/ just paid it if it was their week.
    via ammyamyammy
  • So basically. He paid Fck All. About $15-20 per week for 2 kids. For year I listed to him guilt me on it, try and twist us against our mum (and sometimes it worked), have him say he couldn't afford food because of us. All to find out he paid practically nothing. He worked as a locksmith and then a motorbike mechanic in a specialised area. Then went back to being a locksmith. I'm not in contact with him now. Obviously. My sister lives with him still but we're fine. She comes over to stay at mine
    via ammyamyammy
  • He just took my sister ob a week long trip to Bali. All expenses paid. She's 20 and hasn't had a job for over a year. When I last lived with him- I was the cook, the cleaner, the caretaker of my sister, the dog walker and the person putting myself in the middle deliberately to avoid hospital visits/ animal ab But yeah. That my dad. A begging man child.
    via ammyamyammy
  • a labeled tip jar with dollar bills in sits on a counter
    via Sam Dan Truong

  • Commenters sympathized with the situation that she had been put in.

    Ok-Judge2091 Your dad weaponized guilt over pennies while you were breaking your back just to survive. Asking for a refund on being a parent? That's next-level delusional. You didn't owe him then, and you sure as h I don't now. Glad you're out. Stay out.
    via Ok-Judge2091
  • FirefighterBig4779 Wow, that's just heartbreaking and frustrating all at once. Your dad guilt-tripped you for child support money he barely paid himself, then turns around and spoils your sister while you carried so much responsibility growing up. It's clear who really stepped up and who didn't. No wonder you're done with him. You deserve better than that kind of selfishness disguised as entitlement.
    via FirefighterBig4779
  • Where WeretheAdults You can reverse-Uno him if he didn't pay court ordered child support. Get a lawyer and sue him for what you are owed. That's right, child support goes for the child. As an adult, you are well within your rights to seek to be made whole.
    via WhereWeretheAdults
  • insane_contin Literally depends on the jurisdiction. Odds are no, they are not entitled to the missed child support. It would be up to the mom to enforce the order so she can get the money she is owed. Yes, it's for the child, but most jurisdictions make it paid to the parent. It's why they don't track where the money from child support goes. The custodial parent is assumed to be paying for the child, and that money is to reimburse them basically.
    via insane_contin
  • Reymarcelo Thats a lame dad. You should not pay him, he chose to have kids, thats the consequences of his actions.
    via Reymarcelo
  • Winter-eyed No. He wasn't doing you a favor or paying you a loan. He was meeting his parental financial Obligation. He isn't owed a thing for literally meeting (likely with no choice as states are happy to garnish wages) the bare minimum of parenthood for the person he created.
    via Winter-eyed
  • kidd_gloves How do you waste wifi? You don't owe him a penny. Paying for your child's needs is part of being a parent.
    via kidd_gloves
  • Minflick NAH. Laugh at him until you cry.
    via Minflick
  • holymacaroley Even if he had paid more in child support, that's not how it works. You don't get to demand money back that was spent raising your kid, and I say that as a parent.
    via holymacaroley
  • Southern_Bicycle8111 You didn't ask to be born
    via Southern_Bicycle8111
  • Maleficentendscurse Yeah stick with no contact with him, I hope you've blocked him on your phone and social media is too, It's not your responsibility to pay back the child support and I would dare him to go to court and ask the judge that and he will be laughed out of there
    via Maleficentendscurse
  • depressed_popoto My dad did something like this. I posted about it years ago. But he asked me for thousands to buy a new truck. I told him no. He basically said that I was rich (and I'm not) and that I owed it to him.
    via depressed_popoto
  • No Regrets-518 Sounds like there was a good reason or two for your parents to get divorced. Your job is to pay for your children, not for your childhood.
    via NoRegrets-518

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family drama dad family daughter entitled people entitled parents reddit thread Reddit parents
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