Dad refuses to leave Daughter's studio apartment during her therapy session, claims he's allowed to stay since he pays for her studies: ‘Just deal with it’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Jun 12, 2026 5:45 PM EDT

"Dear Dad, paying for some of your daughter's life does not mean you're entitled to every little piece of it."

Oh, what we would have done to be allowed to say that to the father in the story below. 

This 23-year-old daughter is currently studying abroad, so her father and stepmother came to visit her. They decided to stay in her student housing, which is basically a small studio with a bathroom and shared kitchen. At first, it worked out well enough.

Things started to go south when the daughter asked her dad and stepmom to give her the room during her therapy session. We all know how emotional those sessions can be, and it can be quite distracting to go through therapy with other people in the room. So, the daughter thought it was a decent request to ask her parents to leave for an hour so she could talk in peace.

Apparently, her father didn't love the request and insisted it was disrespectful of his daughter to ask such a thing. He insisted that since he pays for her studies aprove, she should be allowed to stay in the apartment whenever he wants, even during the therapy session. Anything less is simply ungrateful behavior.

So, the daughter turned to an online community in search of advice, and was told by pretty much everyone who read her story that her dad was being wildly unreasonable. The only question is, what should she do about it?

After all, she can't really kick him out of the apartment, and if she wants privacy for her therapy session, her only solution might very well be to take the session somewhere else entirely. It just feels so odd to have to leave your own home to accommodate someone who won't do the same for you. Is it really worth it just to keep Dad content? We're not so sure anymore.

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  • AITA for asking my dad to leave my apartment during my therapy session?

    I (F23) am a student abroad. My father and stepmom came to visit me in my student housing, which is a small room with an attached bathroom and a shared kitchen down the hall.
    via SwingIll7872
  • I have therapy once a week in the morning, which both of them knew about in advance. It is a hard and sometimes emotional thing so I asked them to give me the room during the session. My stepmom
    via SwingIll7872
  • A young woman talking to her therapist, represented by models.
    via Hrant Khachatryan

    A young woman talking to her therapist, represented by models.

  • said she'd go sightseeing. My dad said he'd work in the kitchen but would come back in if he needed the bathroom or anything else. The bathroom is inside my room, so I
    via SwingIll7872
  • told him I'd prefer he go to a cafe about 500m away for the hour, or visit a museum and do his work in the evening (since it is quite flexible).
    via SwingIll7872
  • He said this was disrespectful and ungrateful, pointing out that he helps fund my studies (~$1000/month, my father was also the one who pushed the hardest for studying abroad). He said I was
    via SwingIll7872
  • acting like a child, that a normal adult would just deal with it, and that I shouldn't be emotional. He has not spoken to me since (or to anybody else really), which is most
    via SwingIll7872
  • of a day now despite my attempts at conversation and it made the day miserable for everyone.
    via SwingIll7872
  • Earlier that morning I'd had a stressful start because I was preparing for the session and told them I wasn't coming to breakfast, which he also called disrespectful.
    via SwingIll7872
  • Later, after the day of silence, I got a headache and slept for an hour, which they said was disrespectful too since I had guests. AITA?
    via SwingIll7872
  • A silver MacBook sitting on a brown leather couch
    via Michael Oxendine

    A silver MacBook sitting on a brown leather couch

  • Lorem Ipsum8675309 I can see why you need therapy. NTA. I would cancel the appointment for this week and rebook when they are gone and you have privacy
    via LoremIpsum8675309
  • followifyoulead NTA, sounds like you'll have a lot to talk about in therapy.
    via followifyoulead
  • stinstin555 NTA. You should have a reasonable expectation for privacy during your therapy session. But you need to really think long and hard about how overbearing your Dad is and look for ways to establish healthy boundaries to protect your peace.
    via stinstin555
  • 1 Rainbow Unicorn NTA. I can't believe they are staying IN your student housing! They should have gotten a hotel nearby
    via 1RainbowUnicorn
  • JakePowerliftw NTA. Privacy during therapy is a reasonable request, especially in a tiny space.
    via JakePowerliftw
  • Madscurr NTA. How do I say this gently? Any healthy adult can use the bathroom before a scheduled appointment and then wait an hour. That he wants to have the right to interrupt your private
    via Madscurr
  • space during a private appointment isn't about respect, it's about power. Acting entitled because he supports you financially is about power. Requiring you to modulate your emotions and sleep around his comfort inside your home is about power.
    via Madscurr

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Tags

family drama students kids mother therapy parenting dad family daughter women parents children Father apartment
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