Dad Who’s Big On ‘Technicalities’ Broke His Son’s Heart When He Didn’t Fulfill His End Of The Deal
Louise Peralta
A deal is a deal. No matter how young or old you are, you should always keep a promise.
Much more so if it’s a promise made between a parent and a child.
“AITA for refusing to forgive my Dad for breaking our deal?”
Based on the title, you’d think that OP is just being petty, right? But it’s much more than that.
OP was just a child when his parents bought him his first piano and made him take lessons. He loves music, so there’s really nothing to complain about. He’s come to be known as the piano guy at school, and he performs at school concerts and choirs, and he even plays for a couple of retirement homes in their town.
A pretty amazing kid, I would say.
But after several years of focusing on piano, he started to think about quitting lessons.
“My parents quickly tried to guilt me out of it,” OP wrote. He was already a teen at this point, and he wanted to explore his other interests, but between all his music lessons and studying, he said he just didn’t have the time for any extracurricular activities.
Here’s where his dad proposed a deal. The Royal Conservatory of Music Certificate Program is a comprehensive and effectively sequenced program of music study and assessment; reaching level 10 is an incredible feat, to say the least.
So if OP reaches level 10 and continues to keep his grades up at school, OP’s dad said that he would buy him a new car of his choice. OP accepted.
OP admits that his family is financially secure, so gifting a car shouldn’t be a problem for his dad. But he also mentioned that his dad is “big on loopholes” and he hates losing.
“When we compete, he always finds a way to win, and when I do, it doesn't count because of some loophole. It drives me nuts, but he thinks it's hilarious,” OP wrote.
A couple of years after the deal was made, OP finally fulfilled his end of the deal. He passed his level 9 RCM exam and was able to keep his grades up. He told his dad his car of choice; now it’s only a waiting game until his dad fulfills his part of the deal.
Come OP’s birthday, his dad told him that there was a surprise waiting for him in the garage.
But surprise, surprise! What should’ve been OP’s very first car turned out to be a 1:24-scale toy BMW.
OP’s dad laughed at his joke and said, “A deal’s a deal, so, as promised, here is your brand-new BMW!”
“My heart absolutely broke,” said OP. When OP confronted his dad about it, he just told OP that he shouldn’t have expected him to actually buy a real car.
“I said we had a deal and I fulfilled my end of it; he said he did too since I never said that the car had to be full-size and drivable. I said he wasn't being fair. His response: life isn't fair,” OP wrote.
Ever since that birthday surprise, OP’s been distant, and his relationship with his dad has soured. OP admits that he’s being kind of petty, as he says he’s no longer interested in getting a car from his dad when his dad offered to buy him a used one.
“I just feel like if I accept one from him now, it's like saying that breaking his promise didn't matter and that he didn't do anything wrong. AITA?”
Absolutely not, OP. You had a deal, you sacrificed your desire to pursue different hobbies, and it took you two years to fulfill your end of the deal. It doesn’t matter that you’re 17; lots of kids have their own cars at that age, even if it’s not new, and you’re responsible and smart enough (based on what you’ve shared) to actually own one.
What your dad did is absolutely wrong. And the way that he’s taking this as a joke or a life lesson even though he broke your trust and your heart is not okay.
“Sorry your dad thinks being funny and getting the upper hand is more important than his son's trust, but if anything, at least you can learn from his example and be a better parent if you choose to have children in the future,” one Redditor commented.
Read the original (and infuriating) post below!
AITA for refusing to forgive my Dad for breaking our deal?
by u/Piano_throwaway_ in AmItheAsshole
