Fury as Dad Wants To Punish His 7-Year-Old Daughter for Being 'A Cheater'

A father wanting to punish his 7-year-old daughter for "cheating" on her boyfriend is horrifying Reddit users.

Sharing her story with the Am I the A******? (AITA) subreddit, user u/EfficientAd4006 said she and her husband have a 7-year-old daughter called Layla.

Recently, Layla got her first "boyfriend," a kid in her class called Lucas.

"They are both 7, so it's obviously not a real relationship," she wrote.

"They just hold hands sometimes and they drew each other hearts for valentines day."

However, Layla was spotted holding hands with another boy, upsetting Lucas.

"[This boy] also sent Layla a valentine's day love letter - and Lucas took offence to it," she continued.

"We found out because Lucas' parents called to tell us Lucas won't be coming over to us this Saturday like it was originally planned, because he is mad at Layla."

In response, EfficientAd4006's husband wants to punish Layla to teach her about "faithfulness."

"At first I thought he was joking, but no, he was serious," she said. "He says that Layla cheated on Lucas and I, as her mother, should do something about it.

"I told my husband that Layla is 7, not a cheater and I won't treat her as such.

"He then accused me of 'raising a cheater' and encouraging the bad behaviour."

Reddit users were disturbed by the husband's attitude, with the post receiving almost 28,000 likes and nearly 3,000 comments.

'A Dangerous Way of Thinking'

According to Angela Karanja, an adolescent psychologist and founder of Raising Remarkable Teenagers, children begin to understand social constructs and relational skills around the age of 6 to 7.

"Loyalty and faithfulness are great people skills for children to develop," she told Newsweek.

"However it's important we understand that this greatly varies depending on their specific developmental stage and life experiences."

She said there are ways that parents can model loyalty and faithfulness for their children, including:

• Sticking to promises and commitments
• Discussing the meaning of these topics and why they're important
• Teaching empathy and explaining how their words and actions affect others.

Although children are starting to recognize social constructs, Karandja said it's vital not to put adult expectations on young children.

"[In this scenario], it's very unfortunate that the husband believes the little girl should be punished for 'unfaithfulness,' she said.

"A 7-year-old holding hands with another child does not equate to an exclusive relationship."

Karanja said this is a "dangerous way of thinking," that can condition a child to believe that possessiveness, and even abuse, are acceptable.

"This is a very crucial age for self-regulation and it's important to support kids to develop emotional intelligence and understanding of others' feelings," she said.

"Kids should be free to have all sorts of friends and friendships in the knowledge and confidence that no one friend owns them."

'Kinda Worried About Her Husband...'

Reddit users were troubled by the husband's response, with -justkeepswimming- calling it "creepy."

"She's 7. It's ridiculous to call her a 'cheater,'" commented Gr4nd45.

"I didn't want to go there but it really gave me a 'purity culture' vibe," said TinyGreenTurtles.

"An explanation is appropriate, but not an accusation or punishment. Kinda worried about her husband..." wrote jane_q.

Jakyland agreed, and suggested that EfficientAd4006 talk to her husband about "not being an abusive and unhinged father."

"Add to that, somebody please have a talk to Lucas about friendship, boundaries, and consent..." said Freckledreddishbrown.

"If he's bent out of shape because his girlfriend has another boyfriend at seven, he'll make the worst of boyfriends at 27."

"The 'you're the mother you have to do it' is also a bit concerning," added Ok-Penalty7568.

"Makes me wonder if he would react the same had the genders been reversed," commented Forsaken-Ordinary669.

While addangel wrote: "Explaining to her husband that his misogyny will not be tolerated should take priority.

"Because if he has some gripes with women or cheating he needs to deal with them in therapy, not project them on his 7 yo daughter."

Newsweek reached out to u/EfficientAd4006 for comment by Reddit. We could not verify the details of the case.

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