Mom gives 16-year-old daughter a Nintendo Switch and connects her banking information to buy games, daughter's dad finds out and demands access to the account: ‘It’s so unreasonable’

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Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Jul 12, 2026 2:00 PM EDT

Are parents entitled to their kids' birthday gifts?

Thinking back on my childhood, I don't ever remember having to share my birthday gift with either one of my parents. My sisters? Sure. Every single thing I got somehow ended up in the hands of my older sister and was often ruined by my younger sister. But my parents never took an interest in the Barbies, books, or jewelry I got for my birthday.

Why would they?

If they wanted something for themselves, they could have easily gotten it for themselves; they are grown adults. I was a teenager who had one day a year to get something special from friends and family, my parents didn't want anything to do with it.

It might be different when parents are not together anymore and have other families as well, which is the case for the parents in this shared story. This 16-year-old daughter was gifted a Nintendo Switch by her uncle for her birthday, which, I'll admit, is a pretty exciting gift for both kids and adults. Mom made sure that this present was approved by Dad and connected her own banking information so that her daughter could buy games for her brand-new console. 

Dad, on his part, allowed his daughter to have the Switch at his home, but demanded to know the account information, even though it was connected to Mom's personal details. Mom quickly figured out that the reason he wants the details is so that he can use the Nintendo for the rest of his family. But he insisted that if she refused, he would not allow the daughter to have the Switch at all.

 I think we can all agree that no parent should demand something like that, especially when the Switch was a birthday present that the daughter was extremely excited about. If the Dad wants one so bad, he should get one for himself, right?

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    16-year-old daughter playing with her Nintendo Switch.
    via @prathanchorruangsak

    16-year-old daughter playing with her Nintendo Switch.

    Subject is a model.

  • 02

    AITAH for refusing to give my switch account to my kids dad

    My kid (16) lives with her dad quite a few states away (USA). For her birthday this year my brother gave her a switch. Before any of this happened I reached out to
    via Mowgli1989
  • 03
    her father to make sure he would be okay with the gift because he's pretty intense about internet surveillance. She's 16 and doesn't have a browser on her phone or
    via Mowgli1989
  • 04
    the ability to get any apps. I don't agree with any of this but alas she lives with him and continues to want to.
    via Mowgli1989
  • 05
    Anyways we got the go ahead that she could have the switch so I set her up with my old switch account in order to not have to rebuy some of the games I
    via Mowgli1989
  • 06
    already owned - and then I purchased quite a few more. Ideally I was planning for us to share the account by setting up her switch as the primary and then
    via Mowgli1989
  • 07
    buying myself one somewhere down the line and setting it up as the secondary.
    via Mowgli1989
  • 08
    Holding a Nintendo Switch.
    via Alvaro Reyes

    Holding a Nintendo Switch.

    Subject is a model.

  • 09
    Now that she's home I'm being told that her father is demanding to have ownership of the switch account. I'm fuming. I was not told that this was a condition of her
    via Mowgli1989
  • 10
    having this device. If I had been I would not have given her my personal switch account that has my banking info my personal email my everything attached to
    via Mowgli1989
  • 11
    it. Essentially to me it seems he's looking to make this gift my brother and I got for her into his new families switch rather than a gift that belongs to our daughter alone (he has more children with his new wife).
    via Mowgli1989
  • 12
    The part that ss is he's apparently threatening to take it away from her without the transfer to his email account. She's obviously panicking and I
    via Mowgli1989
  • 13
    don't want this to result in her losing her favorite birthday gift but am I being unreasonable for saying fk this? It's so
    via Mowgli1989
  • 14
    unreasonable from where I'm standing. That said, I don't want to ruin her birthday gift. Ugh please hit me with perspective.
    via Mowgli1989
  • 15
    shammy_dammy NTA. And she's choosing to live with him? Your account is just that...yours. If he wants control of an account, he can start one and pay for games.
    via shammy_dammy
  • 16
    West-Improvement2449 Nta. Do not link accounts. Factory resert
    via West-Improvement2449

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kids birthday mother nintendo switch siblings gift parenting family daughter women nintendo parents children Father
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