Credit: DisneyVacations to the Walt Disney World Resort are always memorable, but that doesn’t mean the memories are always good.
From the Cinderella Castle spires in Magic Kingdom and the glamor of Hollywood Studios to the innovation of EPCOT and the wildlife in Animal Kingdom, Disney World is primed to entertain, inspire, and be enjoyed.
However, navigating such a large resort can prove stressful, not least because of all the operational components like the Lightning Lane and the ever-shifting park calendar. Add family drama on top of that, and a vacation to The Most Magical Place on Earth can turn into anything but magical.
The Story Goes…
A 37-year-old father has three daughters: a 15-year-old named “Taylor” from a previous relationship and two younger daughters, ages six and five, with his current wife. Taylor has always had a good relationship with her stepmother and younger sisters.
The family recently took a trip to Disney World, where Taylor, a longtime fan of Belle from Beauty and the Beast, wore a Belle-inspired outfit while her younger sisters dressed in full princess costumes. On the first morning, when the father saw the younger girls, he complimented them by calling them “princesses.”
When asked about Taylor, he replied that she was “a little too old to be a princess but very pretty.” Taylor appeared a bit off after that exchange, acting distant toward him throughout the day, though she still enjoyed spending time with her stepmom and sisters.
Later, the father received a long text from his ex, Taylor’s mother, explaining that Taylor had told her what happened and felt hurt by being excluded from the “princess” compliment. The ex pointed out that, considering Taylor was dressed in a Belle-inspired outfit and they were at Disney, he should have realized she might have wanted to be included.
The father defended himself, noting that Taylor has disliked “cute pet names” for years, and he assumed she wouldn’t want to be treated like a little kid. His ex disagreed, saying he was being oblivious, while his wife also suggested he could have handled the situation better and should make it up to Taylor. The father, however, feels that he wasn’t being unreasonable, as he believed he was respecting Taylor’s preference not to be called a princess.
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With close to 7,000 upvotes and over 2,400 comments, the original poster’s story has drawn the ire of the internet. While many AITA posts have a divided response, the takeaway from this specific ask is that many believe the poster to be the a******.
One reply from Only-Ingenuity7889 read: “She was dressed like her favorite freaking PRINCESS. Taylor probably took it as you fawning over your two youngest darlings, then you had to make up something polite for her after your FIVE-YEAR-OLD could read the room better than you did and called you on it,” they said.
Adding: “I’d recommend a one-on-one outing with her. Tell her she may not want to talk about it, but you need to, so she can just listen. Be honest – she’s growing up and you don’t always know how to handle it. Good luck. YTA”
Another comment from MutedHyena360 echoed the above: “Your daughters will ALWAYS be your princesses. Even (maybe especially) if they don’t want to be called that,” they wrote. “It’s your JOB as their dad to embarrass them by calling them a princess. But everyone is a princess at Disney, even your wife!”
“YTA: Would it have been that hard to simply say, “You three look lovely”? Like, you complimented two of your children and ignored one of them–the same one who doesn’t spend a lot of time with you,” Impossible_Rain_4727 replied. “Props to your youngest for trying to include Taylor. She demonstrated more emotional intelligence in that moment than you did.”
Gaberahamj expanded on the above comment, writing: “Also, how hard is it to just say I’m sorry? You said something that unintentionally hurt your daughter’s feelings. Even if you don’t think it should have upset her, it clearly did, so why not apologize?”
“Maybe it wasn’t not being called a princess that hurt her, maybe it was that you singled her out and made her feel less special than her little sisters,” they continued. “Like the fact that she felt more comfortable talking to her mom than talking to you about this says a lot.”
Many more comments called out the father and challenged him to mend his relationship with his teenage daughter.
How do you think this dad should have handled the situation? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!