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Internet commenters were quick to call out one stepfather who threw a full-blown temper tantrum as a result of feeling overshadowed by his 18-year-old stepdaughter.
In a viral Reddit post published on r/AmITheA**hole, the teenager's mother, Redditor u/Throwaway624335 (otherwise referred to as the original poster, or OP) described the tension gripping her family and detailed the heated aftermath of her decision not to diminish her daughter's academic accomplishments.
Titled, "[Am I the a**hole] for refusing to take down my daughter's graduation photo and replace it with my husband's graduation photo?" the post has received more than 8,000 upvotes and 2,000 comments in the last seven hours.
"My daughter (18) graduated high school and I hung a photo of her graduation party on the living room wall," OP began. "She wants to go to a community college and [will] live with me and her stepdad while doing that."
Continuing to explain that her husband also graduated recently from a master's program, the original poster said he was thrilled to show off his own graduation photo and planned to hang it in the living room.
However, instead of hanging it next to her daughter's photo, the original poster said her husband was dead set on being the star of his own show.
"He said that he didn't feel it was right having his graduation photo [for] a master's degree [to] be hung next to a high school graduation photo," OP wrote. "He said that both [photos] have 'different weight and value' and suggested I take my daughter's photo down.
"I refused and said...my daughter deserves to have it on display," OP continued. "We had an argument about it and he kept insisting on having her graduation photo be taken down and not be hung on the same wall.
"Also he thought that a highschool photo isn't hang-on wall worthy and called me inconsiderate of his feelings," OP added. "He says it's disrespectful to him and his efforts."
Forty percent of married couples with children in the United States are "step-couples," with at least one partner having a child from a previous relationship, according to data published by Smart Stepfamilies.
Step-couples, also called blended families, are prevalent across the country.
Of the 73 million children in the U.S., Pew Research Center reports that 16 percent are living in blended families.
But while the percentage of children living in blended families has remained steady since the 1990s, the challenges associated with combining two family units into one still exist, especially when the competition for attention reaches unforeseen heights.
Very Well Family, an online resource for parenting advice, reports that blended families often face four glaring issues: stepsibling rivalries, stepparent discipline, lack of family bonds and dividing parental focus between children accustomed to undivided attention.
Attention-seeking children, however, are a different story than attention-seeking adults.
Throughout the comment section of the viral Reddit post, Redditors were stunned by the behavior of the original poster's husband and offered potential solutions for the couple's graduation photo dilemma.
"I'd hang it right over the toilet where his attitude belongs," Redditor u/Low-Assistance9231 wrote in the post's top comment, which has received nearly 18,000 upvotes.
"That's what he gets for s**tting on OP's daughter's achievement," Redditor u/knittens added, receiving more than 2,000 upvotes.
Redditor u/WhoIsTheRealJohnDoe, whose comment has received more than 1,000 upvotes, echoed that sentiment.
"Hang his on his own 'dedicated' wall in the bathroom," they suggested. "Every time he takes a piss he can be reminded of how much of a pompous a** he is.
"I also have a master's degree," they continued. "I would never be so big headed to do something like that."
In a separate comment, which has received more than 3,000 upvotes, Redditor u/Fragrant-Procedure-3 took a step back and addressed the competitive dynamic between the original poster's daughter and husband.
"How old is this man and why does he think he needs to compete with a teenager?" they questioned. "This is so strange."
"Seriously," Redditor u/Mryessicahaircut chimed in, receiving more than 2,000 upvotes. "What kind of growna** man with a master's degree is threatened by a kid's high school graduation?"
Newsweek reached out to u/Throwaway624335 for comment.
About the writer
Taylor McCloud is a Newsweek staff writer based in California. His focus is reporting on trending and viral topics. Taylor ... Read more