AITAH for cutting my daughter off?
A 58-year-old father recently landed in a massive blowout with his 27-year-old daughter over money. After years of covering college, grad school, and even monthly allowances, he finally said no when she insisted he also pay off her mother’s student loans—his ex-wife, divorced more than 20 years earlier.
She exploded, declaring she’d cut him out of her life completely if he refused. He fired back that she shouldn’t bother showing up for car repairs, cash handouts, or anything else—and told her to get her phone off his plan. The post exploded across social media, splitting opinions on whether he’s being cold-hearted or finally standing up for himself.
‘AITAH for cutting my daughter off?’
Everything traces back to a messy divorce when the daughter was just a baby, with brutal custody battles lasting until she was 9:
Once she graduated and started working, contact dried up unless she needed cash:
In updates, he clarified the limited contact and his involvement as a dad:
This situation centers on financial boundaries with adult children. The father provided extensive support through undergraduate and graduate studies, plus ongoing cash even after she chose a more expensive path over full scholarships. Demanding he cover his ex-wife’s loans pushed him to cut off funding, igniting fierce debate.
From the daughter’s perspective, she may view his greater financial success as reason enough to help both her and her struggling mom. Yet that sense of entitlement often grows when parents keep providing without clear expectations of independence, turning the relationship into one-sided transactions.
Psychiatrist Laura F. Dabney has pointed out: “A parent’s role is to care for their children until they can take care of themselves. By continuing to give them money, you are preventing them from growing up.” (Source: NBC News)
In modern America many parents still bankroll grown kids, but experts increasingly warn of the downsides: parents face retirement insecurity while adult children miss out on building real financial responsibility. Psychology Today advises setting firm, consistent limits and encouraging accountability to break cycles of dependency.
Here’s the comments of Reddit users:
Online readers weighed in heavily, with the majority firmly supporting the father.
Most users back his decision to stop funding, stressing that at 27 she’s fully responsible for her choices—including skipping full-ride scholarships—and has no right to demand he support his ex-wife:
A smaller group questions whether key details are missing or suggests the relationship has always revolved too heavily around money:
![[Reddit User] − Did your ex had to drop out because she got pregnant ? If you were that loaded, how come your ex lived in a s__tty neighborhood ?...](https://en.aubtu.biz/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/wp-editor-1769908933190-3.webp)
This story reveals how deeply money can complicate family ties—especially when divorce, unequal finances, and long-standing resentment are involved. The father supported generously for years, yet stopping when the demands became unreasonable feels justified to most readers.
What’s your take? Should parents keep financially supporting adult children indefinitely, or is it healthier to set firm boundaries and let them stand on their own? Share your thoughts in the comments!
