Dad Tells Daughter She Won’t Marry a Billionaire, Sparks Family Drama

We all know that moment when a family member's choices leave us baffled. For one dad, that moment arrived when his 20-year-old daughter became convinced she'd only find happiness by marrying a billionaire. Her fixation has led her down some questionable paths, and her father is concerned she's losing sight of reality. This obsession is affecting her studies, her relationships, and her overall well-being.

Her father is torn between supporting her dreams and bringing her back to earth. When comforting words didn't work, he took a more direct approach, explaining the statistical improbability of her marrying a billionaire. This sparked a disagreement with his wife, who felt he was crushing their daughter's dreams. Now, he's wondering if he was too harsh in his attempt to bring her back to reality.

Curious how it all unfolded? The full story is right below.

Dad Tells Daughter She Won't Marry a Billionaire, Sparks Family Drama

AITAH for telling my daughter that she is not going to marry a billionaire?

I (47M) have a bit of a problem. I have a daughter (20 F), and my wife is 46F. She isn't my daughter's biological mother, but has been in her...

Aspiration morphs into obsession — the first warning sign.

For about a year now, my daughter has got it in her head that she'll marry a billionaire, and that it will be the only way that she can be...

She's not doing great in school at the moment, and all she talks about it marrying a billionaire, how she thinks she can meet one, what type of house they'll...

I've found out that she has, for example, spent time in hotel lobbies/bars, having a drink, trying to pick up older guys. Mind you, we do not come from poverty,...

My wife has a brother who is very well off, and my daughter has actively tried to get closer to him and his family in the pursuit of wealth. It...

She has pulled similar stunts with other friends and family who have even a bit of a more lavish lifestyle.

This is where the story turns genuinely alarming.

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She also has tried to message some of my own work associated who are in a more 'glamorous' position at work than I am, and I had to find out...

She had been sending suggestive stuff to them, and asked one of them to buy her fancy Jewelry. My daughter isn't stupid. She always has done well in school until...

But something has happened that has made her so obsessed with money, and I have no idea what it is.

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She is temporarily staying with us for some weeks as shes looking for a new apartment, and for the past 4-5 days, this entire thing has had her so depressed...

She cries like someone has died, and it sounds like intense grief. Every morning, we wake up to her sobbing in her room. I've tried talking to her, and have...

It hasn't been good enough, and she'll say nasty things like "Yeah but he'll probably be broke so I don't care".

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I then took a more direct approach and told her that there's only a very tiny fraction of the world's population who are billionaires, and most of them tend to...

My wife thought I was being an AH by being so direct with her, and that "I didn't have to ruin it for her like that". She tried defending her...

Everyone can dream, sure, but the fact that she has already violated the boundaries of multiple people, and that this situation is getting so on top of her that it's...

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Plus her trying to talk to much older men is just dangerous, and I really worry that she's going to end up hurt. So AITAH for this approach? Edit: I've...

Will update later. Thanks everyone for your suggestions aside from those who just provided a list of ways to marry rich. What happened to love? As someone pointed out, yes,...

Why does this person even have to be incredibly rich? Maybe I am just being a weird old person here, but I am honestly astounded that this attitude is so...

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Edit/update: It hasn't been many hours since my initial post but I am honestly trying to process everything, and I think writing this will help me. So it's Sunday, so...

Speaking of, many people here have blamed me for enabling my daughter. I am not quite sure how to feel about it yet.

I have paid for her studies, her rent, and travel in case if she wants to go abroad to see her cousin who she is close with (and who I...

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She has asked for me to get her designer things and trips to places like Monaco previously, and I've told her that she needs to get a job as a...

I have however bought her luxuries like an iPhone, a tablet, and a Macbook, but with the condition that she uses them to improve her life (i. e. , using...

She had multiple profiles, but she always followed herself, so I managed to find those. And yes, she had reposted some alarming content from various female influencers. A lot of...

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She had been actively reposting content of women's shopping hauls of what their rich boyfriend/husband got them. Lots of stuff about how men cannot love, and how women should look...

Just horrible toxic stuff that will rot your brain. She also had posts of her own from expensive restaurants among other places where I can only assume guys had taken...

As she's not employed, I know for sure she's not paying for that herself. She also had a post where she explained, alarmingly, that women who want a handsome guy...

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She had written a post that implied she's subscribed to some course that is supposed to make her rich and famous. Some "content creator club".

Basically, as I understood it, she had paid 500€ out of her savings/the money I had given her to some Russian creator whose entire online persona revolves around men taking...

The 500€ went to coaching sessions with said creator where she was teaching my daughter the tricks to make money on social media. It sounded like a giant scam, in...

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My daughter had several posts about it, that were all set to public (which is no longer the case, as I've asked her to make her social media private, which...

I told her that first and foremost, she's an adult and gets to make adult choices, and whatever she does, and whoever she dates, is up to her. That said,...

I tried to gently ask what kind of guys she goes on dates with, and that of course she doesn't have to tell me, but if we can have an...

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As a dad, as much as I felt grossed out, I wanted her to feel safe to tell me, as if anything ever happens, she can come to me. I...

She just mentioned the private jet, shopping trips, a big house. I told her that while those things certainly can be fun, it's not worth risking her autonomy and education...

Go figure. I brought up a lot of bad things that can happen, and asked if she had read anything about the E-files. She hadn't. I told her that there...

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I then asked why she had been sobbing, if she feels depressed, etc, and she finally broke down in tears again. I asked if something had happened that she didn't...

But nope, it was something different. She sobbed for good 15 minutes without being able to say a word, but I patiently waited until she could. She told me that...

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They had fun, had some food and drinks there, and according to my daughter, "all the men were only into her friend", and a guy she had been eyeing for...

Then a little later, the girls found out that there actually was some guy who was a few years older at the university, in their program, who actually was the...

This girl, who my daughter thought was her friend, started then spreading nasty rumors about my daughter, and also had tried sabotaging her weight loss, as my daughter has always...

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She also said that she feels so jealous all the time of her friend that it's consuming her. I was a bit confused. That was all? I even asked my...

She even went as far as to tell me that she's not even active, if you know what I mean. Sure, bullying can be traumatic, but my daughter's reaction still...

She wants to continue at the university, and has told me she will try again to pass some of the courses she hasn't passed yet, but doesn't seem to take...

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Updates

TLDR: Daughter is freaking out because she's worried she won't ever be married to a billionaire. Her social media is alarming, filled with content that I wasn't super happy to...

It’s easy to dismiss this as a young woman chasing a shallow dream, but there’s likely more going on beneath the surface. The daughter’s sudden obsession with wealth and her willingness to compromise her values suggest a deeper issue, potentially related to self-worth or a desire for security. It’s crucial to understand the psychological forces driving her behavior rather than simply dismissing her aspirations.

The father’s direct approach, while well-intentioned, may have backfired. Adolescents and young adults often react negatively to direct confrontation, especially when it feels like their dreams are being invalidated. A more empathetic approach, focused on exploring her underlying motivations, might be more effective. According to Dr. Carl Pickhardt, validating a young person’s feelings, even if you don’t agree with their choices, can open the door for more productive conversations. The father is right to seek professional help, as a therapist can provide a safe space for the daughter to explore her feelings and develop healthier coping mechanisms.

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It’s also worth noting the influence of social media on young people’s perceptions of success and happiness. The curated lifestyles and materialistic values often promoted online can create unrealistic expectations and contribute to feelings of inadequacy. The father’s discovery of his daughter’s social media activity highlights the need for critical media literacy and open conversations about the realities of wealth and relationships. Perhaps the family can explore building a healthy family dynamic. A good start would be to gently introduce new perspectives and highlight the value of personal fulfillment beyond financial gain.

Community Opinions

Reddit users overwhelmingly agreed that the daughter's behavior was concerning and that the father was right to seek professional help, with many suggesting a potential mental health crisis.

u/Alarming_Paper_8357 Your daughter may be smart in some areas, but her emotional IQ is hovering close to zero. Her intrusion on your business associates, etc. shows that she has NO...

u/NYCStoryteller
NTA.
She needs professional help.
She's being a gold digger and stalker and it's not going to end well for her.

u/allergymom74 NTA. But is she mentally ok? She may need an assessment if she’s starting to spiral so badly. Plus she’s trying to act like an escort and is harassing...

u/FarOven5415
You'll do her no favours by humouring her. To be honest she's a bit old to be such a fantasist

u/TsundokuAfficionado My first thought is that this sounds like a form of mental illness. I have bipolar and she reminds me of a couple of manic episodes I’ve had. Fixating...

u/butterflygardyn Your daughter sounds like she is in a mental health crisis. Please get her help. This could be the beginning of a serious mental health conditions-there are conditions that...

u/passiveflux
No, it's best she get the idea out of her head young instead of wasting years on something that won't happen to 99.999% of people

u/thatsfeminismgretch
NTA.
There are very few billionaires out there, and as it turns out, they're not good spouses.
Who would have guessed that s people make s husbands?

u/sylviathejester NTA. If this gets so bad that she drops out of school, then any and all chances of marrying someone rich is off the table. From what I see,...

u/Teen_tactical First, I think she needs some serious therapy, this mentality needs to be corrected as fast as possible. She's giving up on herself and her future and resigning herself...

u/DragonSeaFruit She needs therapy before she gets trafficked to Dubai or something similar. She's exactly the type of girl who gets trafficked and would willingly walk into a trafficking set...

u/Giminykrikits
She needs help.  Therapy at a minimum.  She’s delusional and immature.

u/Frozen-Nose-22 Rich people tend to guard their privacy and especially who's in their circles. She has already shown she cannot be trusted (taking pictures, asking intrusive questions, being obsessed with...

u/Hopeful_Enthusiasm_1 She is at an age where some mental disorders manifest. With how bizarre her beliefs seem to be, regardless of where those beliefs originated, she is taking things to...

u/Necessary_Sir_5079
My sister's mental illness kicked off at its highest in her early 20s.
She needs to be evaluated by a doctor. 

Some commenters also pointed out the dangers of the online content the daughter was consuming and the potential for exploitation in her pursuit of wealth.

The situation highlights the delicate balance between supporting a child's dreams and guiding them toward a healthy sense of reality. Both the father's concern and the mother's desire to protect her daughter's hopes are understandable.

Ultimately, the daughter's well-being is the priority. Do you think the father should have handled the situation differently, or was his direct approach justified? And what role does social media play in shaping young people's aspirations?

Share your hot take below!

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