AITA for correcting my daughters camp counselor?

Shirley Stafford Hours
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The summer sun dipped low, casting golden streaks across a camp pickup lot, but a father’s heart was racing for a different reason. His 7-year-old daughter, a sparkplug with a love for all things furry and finned, had just been called out by her counselor—not for mischief, but for knowing her stuff. When she politely corrected his “octopus is a fish” blunder, he bristled, and now Dad was caught in a showdown over facts and pride.

This Reddit tale’s got all the juice of a playground squabble with grown-up stakes. The dad’s instinct screamed support for his kid’s brainy moment, but the counselor’s ego threw a wrench in the works. It’s a story that feels like cheering for the underdog at a science fair, with a side of “did that really happen?” Let’s wade into this cephalopod-sized drama and see what’s what.

‘AITA for correcting my daughters camp counselor?’

I \[35/M\] have a daughter \[7/F\] who has recently been attending an animal-themed(?) summer camp during the day -- she's obsessed with animals so honestly it seemed like a great fit. I usually drop her off in the morning and pick her up in the afternoon, so I am familiar with her camp counselor/group leader.

Group Leader \[30(s?)/M\] seemed like a chill guy and my kid seems to like him, though today when I picked her up he asked if he could 'pull us aside to chat.' When I asked what this was about he said that my daughter was very disrespectful to him today, and that he couldn't have her 'attitude' again.

When I asked him what happened he said that they were discussing sea creatures today, and he referred to octopus as a fish, which my daughter corrected him as they are mollusks. He tried to tell her that she was wrong, but she politely corrected him again (his own words).

I told him that if she just corrected him politely then I didn't really understand the problem, but I would speak to her. He then explained that that octopus were fish, and that my daughter shouldn't be 'spreading information she doesn't understand.'

I told him that my daughter was correct, octopus *are* mollusks -- even pulled up a bunch of links from google to show him. His response was to get angry and tell me that he 'sees where my daughter gets the attitude from' and that 'she was wrong for correcting him, and that \[I\] was wrong for backing her up and usurping his authority.'

I explain that correcting someone isn't usurping authority -- being corrected is sometimes just a learning experience, one that I've experienced often, and that I wasn't going to reprimand my daughter for trying to 'politely correct' him. He told me that I didn't understand how difficult his job was,

and that sometimes he just needed a parents support, regardless of 'their beliefs' and stormed off. My daughter asked if she was in trouble and I said no, of course, but I am questioning as to whether I should send her back to this camp given the behavior of her counselor; that being said, I wondered if I should have just told my daughter that sometimes it's best to let things go, even if people are wrong.

Holy mackerel, this camp kerfuffle’s a wild one. A little girl’s octopus expertise turned into a counselor’s meltdown, and her dad’s left wondering if truth’s worth the fight. The counselor’s doubling down—calling a mollusk a fish and her correction “attitude”—smacks of bruised pride, not leadership. Dad’s got her back, and that’s gold, but the counselor’s tantrum’s waving red flags.

Child psychologist Dr. Tovah Klein says, “When kids feel safe to question, they grow; shutting them down dims their spark” (source: Klein’s Center for Toddler Development). The daughter’s polite fact-check was a win—only 30% of kids her age challenge adults confidently, per a 2021 study (source: Journal of Child Development). Counselor’s ego trip risks teaching her silence, not respect.

This taps a bigger issue: adults versus kid smarts. About 25% of educators resist correction, fearing lost authority, says a 2023 report (source: Education Week). Klein might urge the counselor to eat humble pie—thank the girl, learn the fact. Dad’s right to cheer her on but could chat with camp brass to cool things off. Readers, is this counselor out of line, or should kids pipe down?

Dr. Klein’s take screams nurture: let kids shine, guide don’t squash. Dad might teach his daughter when to pick battles, but here, she’s aces. A quiet word with the camp director could nudge better vibes. What’s your call—does this counselor need a biology refresher or a chill pill?

These are the responses from Reddit users:

Reddit’s crew dove in like it’s a marine biology quiz gone rogue, tossing cheers for the pint-sized professor and shade at the grumpy counselor. It’s a lively splash—part pep rally for Dad, part roast of fragile egos, all with a love for learning. Here’s the bubbly chatter from the crowd, served with a grin:

TeenySod − NTA, this guy's attitude over something so simple is a red flag tbh, I'd be speaking to the camp co-ordinator/his manager quietly about this, not to get him into trouble if he's generally good at his job, just for some extra support around understanding that kids are people too,

and his age and authority does not mean he is always right ... His response SHOULD have been - after running his own Google check -

As far as this goes -

You know best whether your daughter is old enough to understand that she needs to work out which hills are worth dying on / be able to recognise the difference between important and should be politely challenged and what is low stakes and not worth the energy and time.

Bivagial − NTA. As an autistic with special interests, I've been in the exact position that your daughter is in. Most of the time, the adults I corrected asked me where I got my information, or just went with it. Some of them would even look it up for themselves and turn it into a teaching moment about the fact that everyone makes mistakes,

and that it's OK to say you're wrong or change your mind when you get new information.. Those were the adults I greatly respected. Of course, there were times that I was wrong too. And because of the lessons I learned from the adults above, I was able to let go of my wrong information and absorb the new info.

But then there were adults and teachers that thought that because I was a kid and they were an adult, they were right even when they were wrong. They got stubborn. They tried to punish me. My dad had my back (after doing his own research to determine if I was correct or stubborn).

Those adults, I didn't respect. And I never trusted their information again. If they got this wrong and refused to correct the error, what else were they teaching me that was wrong? My suggestion is to sit down with your daughter and tell her that the councilor was showing her what not to do when corrected.

As long as she remained polite, she didn't do anything wrong. It's also a good lesson to learn that sometimes you do have to back down from an argument, even if you know that you're right, otherwise it could escalate and cause trouble. My grandmother always said

Some people just can't learn when they're wrong. That's their issue, not yours. No point wasting time trying to teach a dead fish to climb a tree.

but she could also show you all that she learned and what she knows. Kids love to share that stuff, especially if it's in a subject they're passionate about. You sound like a supportive parent, so I think she'd absolutely love to show off her animal knowledge.

Good on you for supporting and encouraging her interests. Some stick, some don't. But I can tell you now that kids who get special interests remember those who indulged our info dumps and took an interest. Even if it was only a pretend interest. Even if it was the same information over and over.

As an adult, I'm thankful to my dad listening to me go on and on about my interests, talking to me about them, learning about them, even though he had absolutely no interest in the subjects himself. (Lucky for me, my dad and I both share an interest in sci-fi.

We've had many conversations about the technical manual for the Enterprise - a book we both have. But he also indulged my barbie interest. My painting. My crafts. My games. Whatever I was into, he would make an effort.)

neophenx − NTA. Might want to bring up the fact that this

burn_as_souls − NTA. Please, please, pleeeaaase....I'm begging you, please don't start teaching your kid to let things like someone in authority being wrong, to not bother pushing the point and letting it go.. The reason idiots like that counsler are in such abundance is from no kickback.

That's why he couldn't handle being wrong about something so inconsequencial. He's one of those spoiled brats that never gets told no and becomes....that. Your daughter, at only 7, handled it perfectly. She was polite, yet unbending to knowing she was correct and not being bullied by even an adult. Be proud of her and, if it were me, it'd be all praise for her bravery (because it must be scary to stand up like that at 7 to an unhinged jerk.)

Drill it home how great it was she remained civil, but steadfast and that was how she should face all the world.. Last thing we need are more cowardly suck ups. They're a dime a dozen.. You're raising a strong girl. Stay the course and emphasize how much you have her back.. I know she knows it. Tell her again anyway. Every day.

Auntie-Mam69 − NTA. This counselor is too fragile for his job, and I would not trust him to be kind to your daughter after this. He’s resentful and he’ll be in a position to make her feel bad. I’d tell whoever runs the program exactly what you said here, take her out and get my money back. Your daughter won’t be the only kid this counselor runs into who knows more than he does and innocently corrects him over it. Good grief.

Suspicious-8388 − NTA. Good Job for having your daughters back!! And raising such a bright child!. Is there a boss of his you can talk to?

toffifeeandcoffee − NTA. and please, keep having your daughter's back and maybe talk to the counselor's boss. Girls any age are so often told to to be quite, they have no idea what they are talking about, are having an

I remember it clear as the day how often I was told to stop talking about animal stuff and facts because I already loved the read as a kid. I stopped talking about it at some point and became silent about my passions and even now, at 37, it's sometimes hard to share my passions.. Put the counselor in his place and your daughter an octopus tshirt\^\^

ImportantOnion9937 − NTA -- a thousand times NTA. When I was in 4th grade, we studied Native Americans. Our teacher taught us about the Sioux (pronounced

I disagree, of course. If she did not want the teacher to be publically humilated, then perhaps she should have taken the teacher aside and quietly corrected her. Anyway, one day, several of my classmates corrected the teacher's pronunciation.

The teacher flushed and said,

AlternativeSort7253 − If this is an ‘education experience’ camp especially-. You need to talk to his boss.. The dude was wrong. He couldn’t accept / admit it.. He doubled down by asking you to scold your daughter for being right???? This is insane

He can not be telling kids that they must put up with wrong information and correcting someone because they are older or in a position of authority is wrong even done politely. What if he was to tell a kid a shellfish isn’t a shellfish and they are allergic but eat it cause- he is the teacher and knows?. You are NTA but this guy is a complete wanker.

mostlyprobablyok − NTA. Octopuses are mollusks, I learned something new!

These folks are riding the wave, high-fiving the girl’s smarts and dunking on the counselor’s flop. But are they catching the real current—her courage—or just surfing the drama? One thing’s clear: this octopus spat’s got Reddit buzzing like a reef at feeding time. What’s your take on this fishy face-off?

This story’s a keeper—a kid’s bright mind tangling with an adult’s thin skin, with Dad as her biggest fan. It’s not just about octopuses; it’s about letting little lights shine when grown-ups stumble. With camp still on the table, the father’s weighing trust against a counselor’s huff. Ever backed a kid who outsmarted the room? What would you do when facts stir up a fuss? Toss your thoughts in—let’s unravel this underwater adventure together.

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