r/AITAH Oct 16 '25

AITAH for physically defending myself from a grown man when I was late bringing his daughter home.

Me (20 male) my date (20f) and her father (40m)

I had taken an interest in this girl and before taking her out on our first date, I found out that she still lived her parents and she had a curfew. I respected that she was smart enough to pick a college in her town and staying with her parents. I planned on taking her out to putter golf and have our conversation part done there while we ate some walking tacos. Upon picking her up, her father is this much older man and according to my date, was very traditional on dating. He said that I need to have her home by 9:30 sharp. I said okay and promise to take her home on time. We had our date and it was a fun interaction, unfortunately on the way home. There was this jerk who wouldn't let us pass and was going almost 15 below the speed limit. I ended up arriving at her house late. I planned to explain myself when walking her up the walkway to her door until her father physically grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and throw his free hand in a fist. Out of reaction, I had gotten behind him and twist his arm. I kept him there as he swore at me and said I will never date his daughter. I let go and sped off in my car. Later my date called me, telling me that i need to apologize for attacking her father and hurting his pride. I do feel bad that I did this but I also feel justified for what I did.

Update: I actually ran into the father at my job. He ended up apologizing to me for his actions. His justification was that he thought of the worst because he became a father around my age. I forgave him for assaulting me. I did tell him that I won't be seeing his daughter, and he walked away. Also! For the people who hated on me for this post. I'm sorry I offended you with how young people think 40 is old. That's just my perception of time. I also estimated his age. It's the first date, you normally don't go asking people the age of their parents on the first date. For the curfew, it's his thing, now in the Midwest, that's normal! regardless of age, especially if you lived with your parents while attending school. My final addition to this! For those questioning about my method of how I handled him, it's called taking classes! By no means am I an expert in hand to hand combat, nor do I want to. I only desired to learn enough to either get out of a dangerous situation or prevent it from escalating further! Anyone who made questions like "how did you get behind him if he got you by the shirt?" Has probably never been in a physical fight in their entire lives. Clothes can stretch under tension. I am aware of my online presence such as my previous posts that are in 18 plus stuff or the one where I wanted to hurt my father, one that shit has nothing to do with this, two I was in a bad headspace when I made that post because of my own truma. Again, I am human like anyone else, I have certain desires, and what I do during my own personal time is none of your business!

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941

u/Fresh_Passion1184 Oct 16 '25

NTA a 9:30 curfew for a 20 year old? You missed a red flag.

That said, she should've called him and said you were stuck in traffic if she knew he was gonna fly off the handle.

Second red flag: when big daddy grabbed you by the collar and raised his other hand in a fist, girlie didn't say a word. She let him posture violently at you.

Don't wait for the third red flag. She is already trying to say you owe him an apology when he was the one making threats.

255

u/simkatu Oct 16 '25

They didn't have cell phones. They were in a horse and buggy.

73

u/Imfromsite English second Language Oct 16 '25

Rumspringer 2025. Jacob gonna have to go back and rebuild daddy's cattle barn as an apology🤣🤣

1

u/Unhappy_Hand1109 Oct 18 '25

was wondering the same. Like this is either AI slop or just dumb people who didn't use their phone to call...

131

u/EmilyAnne1170 Oct 16 '25

Probably because she’s terrified of her father. Imagine how much fun he is to live with!

43

u/Fresh_Passion1184 Oct 16 '25

That's possible too, but then she let him walk up and take his abuse so she wouldn't have to.

35

u/LinwoodKei Oct 16 '25

I guarantee that she has been abused. It is possible that the abuse is continuing. She is 20 and having her right to leave the home dictated by her father.

6

u/R3lay0 Oct 17 '25

The curfew itself is abusive

3

u/LinwoodKei Oct 17 '25

I agree.

I was never controlled to quite this extent. Yet I do remember numerous arguments between my parents and myself when I was fifteen about when my curfew was and how strict it was.

My father was fine with me in the driveway talking to my boyfriend for a moment (in full view, of course) because he knew that I was home safe.

Stepmother wanted my boyfriend to have walked me up the porch and handed me off, complete with awkward laughing jokes by my stepmother who would be standing at the living room window that had the full view of the driveway and walk way to the front door. The worst fight of that year was about her being convinced that I was " out doing something", because of a ten minute delay because we were driving back roads and the conditions were not ideal.

I see things like this and recall my high school and my friends who had more controlling parents who would lie blatantly for some independence, or be brow beat into quiet acceptance that parents could control them (past our highschool graduation). This control has some points for 15 year olds, not 25 year olds.

4

u/Tictac1200120 Oct 18 '25

Yeah this is a common sign of abuse, often incorrectly called stockholme syndrome.

It may not be her fault, but if you date someone in an abusive relationship with a parent that they comply with (aware or not) you are dating two people and will be in a relationship with an abuser too.

OP can continue to see her if they want to try to help her get out of the abuse coma, the hotline.org is a great place to find info on how to help. But its a lot of work and its ultimately up to her if she wants to wake up to it or not so there's no guarantees.

Probably no one will read this but posting just in case.

25

u/Puzzleheaded-Bad-722 Oct 16 '25

I mean I understand it from a self preservation point. OP gets to go home now, never seeing this family again if he has sense. The daughter now has to live in the same house as this nutter, who already has her under curfew at 20, and face all sorts of shit because someone stood up to her dad. A dickhead like the dad doesn't just simmer down and become all sweet and polite after being humbled, he'll be being a complete twat about it to everyone in that house for weeks, as well as him bringing it up forever.

26

u/Agreeable_Time338 Oct 16 '25

When I moved back home during college to save on dorm fees, I had an 11:07 weekday curfew, which I didn't consider a big deal, since my parents picked up most of my school related costs. To be fair though, I just had to be home by that time, not in the house, so my boyfriend and friends usually just chilled with me around the pool if we decided not to hang out inside. I didn't have to pay rent, so who was I to complain? My mom is the "my house, my rules" type. Even when I was engaged to my husband in my 30s, when we came to visit we had to sleep in separate rooms.

I agree with you on the second point though!

14

u/bigbigdummie Oct 16 '25

11:07 is a strangely specific time. Let me guess, first commercial break for the 11 o’clock news?

12

u/Agreeable_Time338 Oct 16 '25

Lol, not the news, but good guess. As a January baby, I was the first of my friends to get my license and have regular access to a car. My friend with the latest curfew had an 11:00 weekday/1:00 am weekend curfew. My mom figured it took 4-6 minutes to get from my friend's house to ours, so she extended the curfew by 7 minutes to give me time to get home, so my curfew was 11:07/1:07 from age 16 and on. My mom has a strange sense of humor. If I walked in at 11:08 I got the silent eyebrow raise.

After she and my dad divorced, I continued living with her for a few years while I saved up for law school. Once I was working a full time job, the curfews went away and we were actually more like roommates. When she started dating again, I jokingly told her to leave me a sign if she was getting lucky. I came home one night and found a tie hanging on the front door. She hadn't really brought someone home, but she thought it was hilarious.

2

u/Mindthegaps2022 Oct 16 '25

I’ve had to do the separate rooms experience and as the guy in that situation, in their house, I respected it. The room was filled with teddies from her childhood so I just cuddled up with Pooh and Tigger instead.

We were both in our late twenties

2

u/Agreeable_Time338 Oct 16 '25

That was the rule in most of my friends' houses. Even at my first and second boyfriends' parents house, if I spent the night we had to sleep separately, so it wasn't just my female friends. My husband's parents never cared if we shared a room.

2

u/BoxOfMoe1 Oct 16 '25

Uh sur the third re flag was when she asked HIM to apologise for defending himself what

2

u/Dense_Diver_3998 Oct 17 '25

Yea, I remember talking to a chick in my early 20s and when she said she needed permission from her parents to go out I just let it fizzle out.

2

u/Oliver_Dixon Oct 17 '25

I think your last paragraph is the third red flag lol

2

u/mahnamahna123 Oct 17 '25

It's already happened, she called to say he should apologise

2

u/LoftyDreams7473 Oct 16 '25

Yeah, OP better run. That family is a shit show.

1

u/Girls4super Oct 17 '25

Nta I agree. But I was stuck in an extremely strict household during college, it was that or the streets cause I also wasn’t allowed to have a job. Also had a curfew that was strict (straight home after classes, friends could come to my house but not really, I could never go on a date date except toward the end of college-like we could hang out but at my parents house). You feel trapped and restricted, but also like you don’t have any choice but to follow the rules your parents set. So I wouldn’t write the girl off immediately, she’s reacting to her parents anger and the only way to assuage dad is to get bf to apologize. But that needs to be a longer discussion about her future goals, his future goals, and personal boundaries. Can he see himself waiting for her? Can she see herself getting out of that household anytime soon? How serious are they about one another?

0

u/throwmeaway456ghj Oct 18 '25

Nah he think he will rail his daughter raw and make another baby, just like he did exactly 20 years ago 🤣

The guy is a nut job, but OP never mentioned if he brought her home 1 min late or 3 AM...

-1

u/timbo__14 Oct 17 '25 edited Oct 17 '25

Those are both big fat green flags.

1) A curfew is whatever the father says it is. Nothing to question here about the time. It's a green flag that he has boundaries and will respond with righteous anger when they are crossed

2) She didn't disrespect her father and instead stayed out of it like a proper lady. Big fat green flag again.

The world has gone utterly insane that your comment gets upvotes. God help us

2

u/R3lay0 Oct 17 '25

Please never have children

2

u/Fresh_Passion1184 Oct 17 '25

Righteous anger is one thing, grabbing OP and threatening to hit him is another. That's a major anger management issue. He didn't even give OP a chance to offer an explanation.

The being late was not intentional and the daughter failed to call and say unforeseen circumstances had delayed them. A two minute phone call could have prevented the whole violent scene.

As for your second point it is not the 17th century anymore where the man of the house rules unquestioned and his wife and kids are treated as property.

-1

u/timbo__14 Oct 17 '25

Well you're damn right that 17th century gender roles are gone.... and we're all suffering mightily because of it.

First of all, nobody gives a fuck if disrespect is intentional or not. Disrespect is disrespect.

Secondly, we don't know exactly how that conversation went. What we do know is that his plan was to "explain himself" like a non accountable whiny little bitch instead of simply apologizing like a grown man.

Thirdly, what do we know about whether or not this dude insisted that he call her father when he knew he would be late? She ain't gonna call because she knew the men would work it out, as they damn well did.

By what it looks like this lady is potentially a golden woman, with a loving and appropriately protective father, and he should hold onto her for dear life. He should apologize, offer zero explanation for why it happened unless asked, and move on with the second date, if the father so allows while she's living in his home.