An 18-year-old guy is being chastised by his father for wanting to show off his beanbags on a Caribbean family holiday. On the vacation, the young man attempted to wear a cheeky bathing suit, which shocked his father, who requested he purchase something less “sheer when wet.” However, when the son returned from his little shopping expedition, his father was left scratching his head.
Desperate for guidance, a father posted his story on the ‘Am I the A**hole’ subreddit, revealing an unhappy incident with his 18-year-old son Jax on a Caribbean cruise. The young man had a weeklong vacation with his mother and father to celebrate the conclusion of his school year.”Jax is a nice child, yet he seems to lack confidence. As in, “Too much confidence.” The father writes about his adventurous son, whom he defines as a “exhibitionist.”
“I’ve never seen anything like that; he’s the most self-assured guy in the world. It’s not unjustified; he’s attractive, athletic, and clearly a ‘Mr. Personality’ type, but a little goes a long way.” Next, the father notes that Jax is extremely charming and that when he questions authority, he typically prevails. “But in this case, not so,” adds the original poster (OP).
After the family had settled into their room, Jax prepared for his first trip to the pool, feeling he was preparing to wow his audience of young women. His father, however, was not impressed. “Let’s just say that his bikini was inappropriate. At all. A ‘flaunt it’ kind of suit. I told him to wear something else. He had nothing. The child had packed nothing but those for a week-long voyage. “What was he thinking?”
Jax wore an AussieBum Speedo bathing suit. To be clear, the brand claims that these “daring” swim briefs have a “enhancing pouch” and “maximum sheerness when wet.” Furthermore, the suit “maximizes detail,” particularly when worn in lighter colors that “are more sheer.” The OP adds, “If they had been black, I would have let it go, but not with the baby blue.Even more, they went above and above; there was no mystery as to what was in them in terms of detail.”
Embarrassed by his son’s choice of clothing, the father kindly advised that he purchase a more fitting suit from one of the ship’s boutiques.Despite first rejecting his father’s requests, Jax went shopping and returned with another “speedo-style suit” that was far superior than his previous one but still inappropriate. Of course, he couldn’t return the swimwear.” The questioner says, “I told him to go back, buy a proper suit like trunks or boardie shorts or whatever, which he reluctantly did.”
After overcoming a dispute with his father, Jax gave in and bought a father-friendly suit. “He complained about it and requested to wear his original, but I said no. As I previously stated, I appreciate his confidence since he would have no problem staying at the pool and talking to females all day (he is a shameless flirt), but there is a time and place.”
Before asking Redditors “AITA, and should I have just let him wear whatever he wanted?” The father reveals that he gave Jax the money for the suits because he wanted his son to be “decent.””I may be the a**hole because he is technically an adult and can wear whatever he wants…”I used the ‘dad card’ and was also paying for the trip, so I thought I had the authority to impose certain regulations. “I could be wrong.”
After seeing a photo of Jax’s “budgie smugglers” (to which the poster sent a link), the majority of people expressed their support.”Ask your son if he would feel uncomfortable if you wore those and sat next to him,” says a user. A second person says, “On a family trip, I wouldn’t want to stare at my child’s genitals, but that’s just me. Yes, he is 18, but even if my child was 50, I would not want to stare at their genitals.
Other Redditors had other perspectives on the father’s demands: “It’s just incredibly sexual. [Not The A**hole] for not wanting her son to perv out on a vacation with his parents, but soft [You’re the A**hole] for refusing a reasonable speedo.”A user comments, “Just reading the title I went with YTA, but then I saw the pic and was like oh man, nevermind, that’s so inappropriate.”
Another claims the boy was testing his father’s patience with the first suit: “If the kid had come out with speedo #2 right away, he’d probably not have said anything.” But he was already upset with the ‘look at my d***’ suit, so he insisted on shorts.” Following up with the community, some of whom thought he is a “prude,” the father explains that he is fine with Speedos, but Jax attempted “to pull one over on Dad, and I wasn’t having it.”
He adds, “I am not a prude. Not even close. He can usually wear whatever he wants, and I don’t mind.If not wanting my child to wear those in public makes me a prude, then so be it.”