A Mom Canceled Her Son's Birthday After He Made a Sexist Comment, But Reddit Wants Her to Reconsider

Parenting teens is tough, and it can be difficult to determine the appropriate response when your child does or says something upsetting. Even the most patient, well-meaning parents make rash decisions sometimes. Take it from this mom, who turned to Reddit for some unbiased insight after she canceled her son’s birthday party over a sexist remark he made in passing.

/AmITheAsshole user @loopingtossaway provided this context: She had planned a three-day weekend at a ski resort for her 16-year-old son in honor of his 17th birthday. A bunch of his friends were tagging along, too. “They started talking about all sorts of things, though,” she recalled, “and eventually the topic of my son’s sexuality came up.”

Her son is bisexual and currently dating another boy. Those facts aren’t issues for her (and they shouldn’t be for any parent — bisexuality is totally valid, and teens should be able to explore their sexuality freely). Rather, the problem was a throwaway comment @loopingtossaway overhead when her son was talking to his friends.

“They’re asking him when he realized he was bisexual, when did he come out, when did he first date a guy, what were the differences between guys and girls, etc.,” she explained. “Eventually they ask him what’s his preference. He says, ‘Naturally, I don’t have a preference. I’m attracted to guys and girls the same, but after dating girls and guys, I can say women aren’t worth the trouble.‘”

His answer caught her attention, so she asked him to explain further. But based on her recollection of the event, it seems like she barely gave her son the chance: “I told him, ‘If women aren’t worth the trouble, then neither am I,’ so I wouldn’t be doing anything for his birthday. He just [stared] at me, so I said ‘That’s what happens when you’re a sexist jerk’ in front of his friends.

Of course, @loopingtossaway’s son was upset about his birthday celebration being canceled as punishment… and embarrassed about it happening in front of his friends.

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