My Father, the Manager
For parents, and especially dads, it can be very difficult to see your little one grow up, and at some point, parents will need to let go. For some, letting go can be extremely difficult, and what results is an overprotective parent who goes above and beyond to protect their kids from everyone and everything.
It’s great to protect your children from danger, but it’s also important to let them know that things might not always go their way. Understanding consequences is an important part of growing up, and overprotective dads can tend to shield this challenge from their kids, all while trying to be loving. Dads can do some pretty crazy things, and the internet wasn’t shy about sharing them. Read over this list of overprotective dad stories…and see if you can relate.
Just Like You Taught Me
My father was the general manager of the biggest mall in my native country, and because he was, he gave my stepmother a gift store to manage. I spent most of my school afternoons working in the store with her. From the age of 9 to 17, I went there every day after school….
Every time I left the store to either walk around, get something to eat, or go to the bathroom, all the security guards and maintenance employees would radio him to give live updates of where “Snow White” was headed and what she (I) was doing. Reddit User: Vintage-bunny23
Putting on a Show
When my daughter was only 3 years old, a young boy kissed her full on the lips at her birthday party. After doing so, he exclaimed that he was madly in love with her. I watched in horror as it happened, and I couldn’t get over there in time to correct the situation.
It was just then that my daughter did something shocking….She cocked back and punched the king right in the poor little boy’s mouth. She then came to me and said, “See daddy? Just like you taught me.” I could not find any words. Reddit User: ThePandaChoke
Proud Overprotective Dad
My cousin was living with us for a long while, and as the only paternal-like figure that she had in her life, I wanted to scare her boyfriend off as soon as I caught wind that he was coming over to take her on a date. So I devised this plan, then got to work….
I put some sweet tea into empty bottles of Jack Daniels, put my rifle set near my lap, and sat in a rocking chair outside just a few minutes before he came. When he arrived, I started sipping out of the bottle pretty heavily and then asked him if he wanted any, to which he declined. I kicked things up a notch by drinking a third of the bottle without flinching….
The kid nearly peed himself. I looked him straight in the eye and said, “If you even think about touching my cousin in any inappropriate ways, I’ll make sure you’re singing soprano by midnight. You will open doors and pull her chair out for her. You will have her home by 11 pm sharp.”
I also told him, “You know what happens if you don’t. I’ve been drinking, so I won’t feel as bad as I would sober.” I then grabbed another bottle and began to chug. When they came back, she kissed him on the cheek. I came around the house while sharpening a knife to ask how it went, and he immediately began to apologize….My cousin told me that he’d been nervous the entire night and hadn’t touched her. She figured I had something to do with it. Reddit User: OperationJack
Censoring Everything
I’m an overprotective dad, and I’m quite proud of it. When we moved to a new neighborhood, I was outside in the yard waiting for my daughter to come home from school. She gets off the school bus and is walking towards the house when a boy riding on a bike passes by.
He then asks her, “Hey, who are you?” It was almost instinctive. I blurted out, “No one you need to be talking to. Keep on riding, little man.” They were both 6 years old. She was confused, and I told her I’d explain later my reaction. Reddit User: German Panda
Bumper Sticker Mayhem
I’m a guy, and my father was extremely overprotective; he didn’t want me seeing anything related to “jumping someone’s bones.” Why was that? Because he was a wild child back in the day and did everything imaginable before he ended up leaving college.
His friends weren’t any better, so he was scared that I would act out like he did…. He wouldn’t let me hang out with girls at home, even if he was there. He wouldn’t let me see “Starship Troopers” because there was an inappropriate scene. I was secretly laughing because I’d already done the deed. Reddit User: Intrebox
My Stepfather’s Introduction
I’m an overprotective uncle to my sister’s daughter. One day, her boyfriend comes to pick her up for a date when I notice his bumper sticker. It said, “Your little princess is my little (something that rhymes with stamp).” I immediately felt the need to step in and say something….
The next time I saw him, I made a joke about the sticker and asked if he was the one who put it on his car. He laughed it off, and I said that I also bought a bumper sticker. It says: “I got rid of my niece’s boyfriend and put him in a shallow grave.” Reddit User: IQof72
Unfair and Not Cool
My stepfather, who was a detective, had this funny ritual every time I would bring a date over to my house. He would dress up in his full (police) uniform, and would certainly make sure that his piece and holster was in full view of whoever he was meeting.
But that wasn’t all that he would end up doing…. Once he realized that things were getting serious with a particular guy I was dating, he would decide to perform background checks on that guy. He also did this to a few of my friends. Reddit User: AthenaBlue22
“What’s a Circ?”
Dads are weird in general, but mine was especially weird. I was a thirty-year-old woman who had a seven-year-old son five years into my marriage, but despite this, my father likes to make “immaculate conception” jokes every time he speaks about my son.
Why is that? Because there was no way that I could have done such a deed…. My brothers, on the other hand, couldn’t share enough details about their “exploits” with dear old dad, and he didn’t mind one bit. He treated them like heroes. I love my dad, but it’s wrong. Reddit User: [redacted]
Not Being Allowed to Date
I’m on the receiving of an overprotective father, and I’m telling you, it’s not fun. A few years ago when I was in my first year of medical school, I met a gorgeous blonde who was just a year above me. We hit it off, and soon, I was on my way to meet her family….
Her father, who is a pediatrician, says to come to the hospital while her other family members get ready. I see him, and the guy is more fit than most 20-year-olds. His muscles are bulging from the scrubs, and when he shakes my hand, I nearly lose circulation. We have a polite conversation; then he invites me to see a ‘circ’….
Since I was only in my 3rd month, I had no idea what it was, so I looked at my girlfriend and asked. I quickly found out what it was: a procedure for uncut male babies. My girlfriend laughed as I, a petrified student, helped her father. Reddit User: [redacted]
Making My Presence Known
Back when I was in seventh grade, after a basketball game, my friend and I were walking to the parking lot when two girls suddenly just appeared out of nowhere. They tell me that I’m cute, say they want to know me, and then they ask me for my number.
I wasn’t a very popular person, so I was in shock, while my friend just stood there in disbelief….At that exact moment, my father walks over and tells them, “He’s not allowed to date. And he’s not allowed to give his phone number to strangers.” And that was the end. Reddit User: GeneralKrunch
The People I Babysat For
My wife and I took our daughter to Chuck E. Cheese and let her run around the play area for a little while. She was two years old at the time, and as she was headed down the slide, a little boy sitting on the slide next to her grabbed her arm and pulled it as he was going down. She was panicking and shrieked as she went down. I shouted “HEY” in the loudest growl/scream possible.
My wife said it was like a jet ripping through the air. The entire place went silent. My wife looked at me and said, “Are you kidding me?” My response: “I don’t care if he’s two or twelve; if he hurts my daughter, I’ll deal with it.” Reddit User: 123username123
Taking His Friend for a Walk
The stories I could tell about the people I babysat for are pretty unbelievable, and I honestly don’t know why I stayed working there for so long. The children were 9 and 10 years old and lived in a cul-de-sac with a big yard that was shared with the neighbors.
Their parents didn’t want them to play with the other children, so they had to stay inside and read…. They weren’t allowed to watch Nickelodeon, only PBS kids. They weren’t allowed to say the word fart, and they would freak out every time they got a scratch. Reddit User: lampshade_express
Tit for Tat
Back when I was like three years old and my older brother was five years old, my father and two of his best friends took us to the public swimming pool during the summer, where they would take turns watching us. And my brother was doing a bit too much.
He was being a handful, something that annoyed one of my dad’s friends….He got really upset, picked up my brother, and got physical with a 5-year-old. My father found out, and he told us to stay with the other friend while my father took the child-beater for a “talk.” Reddit User: scarletwanderlust
Chasing Everyone Off
Last year, even though my test grades were phenomenal, I was having problems with my homework, probably because I procrastinated by watching television and surfing the web. My father, rather than talk to me about my procrastination issues, thought that it would be better to remove the internet and television.
He put parental control on the television, and as they did so, I watched. Then they put net nanny on the computer. I switched the television back and disabled net nanny. Then he unplugged the modem, and I plugged it back. He decided to install a hidden switch that cuts off the internet in the back closet. I disabled it. This goes on and on for weeks. Reddit User: KnightlySir
A Dad and His Daughter
My father was very overprotective and would do some very strange things to keep the boys away. Every time I went to a party as a teenager, he decided that it was a good idea for him to cook dinner for me, and all the meals were filled with garlic. It wasn’t until many years later that I realized what he was doing….
I confronted him, and he said to me, “I wondered when you’d realize” with a smile on his face. I probably smelled like garlic at every single one of my high school parties. That’s when I realized that I wasn’t too bright back then. Reddit User: ladyanneboleyn
Just Letting You Know
I work at an anime convention, and we get all kinds of people coming through the doors, including parents and their children. On one of the days of the convention, a father and his daughter walk in together, and the daughter is wearing something rather skimpy.
Like this was something a 14-year-old should not wear, hence why her father was there with her….They walk up to my booth to buy passes, and I notice that while his daughter has a cosplay character’s name, her father’s badge reads, “SHE’S 14, AND I OWN A WEAPON.” Reddit User: [redacted]
My Overprotective Brother
My story is a little different; in fact, nothing has really happened yet, but I’m already dreading what my future holds as a father. My daughter is only 9 years, and already, she has a few boys who claim that they “like” her. One day she came home to let me know of another boy’s interest in her, and I told her this….
“Just to let you know, the first boy you bring home, I am going to have to hurt him just to make a point!” My daughter looked at me, and without missing a beat, she said, “Well, I guess I should bring the ugly one home first!” What do I say to that? Reddit User: khart123
His Plan Backfired
When I was 14 years old, I got involved with a 16-year-old boy who was on the wrestling team. One day, as I usually do with my other friends, I crack a joke at his expense…only to be backhanded and told that he wasn’t someone to insult. I was in complete shock, and I told him that he would regret hurting me….
I took my stuff and left school before it was over, and when I got there, my older brother asked what I was doing home so early. He saw my face, and it was bright red. He gave me an ice pack and told me to start talking. After I told him, I went to my room to cry it out only to come downstairs to find my brother gone….
I was really dreading going to school the next day, but I had to. When I got there, he wasn’t present, and I was very happy about it. A week passed and still no ex. The next school day, he showed up with a broken arm, nose, and stitches in his upper lip.
When he saw me for the first time, the look of fear flashed across his face, and he went in a different direction….My brother denies having anything to do with it. Up to this day, he refuses to tell me what ever happened there. Reddit User: [redacted]
It Was God Calling
My father is extremely overprotective and did the characteristic “overprotective dad” things to keep the guys away. At one point in our relationship, my fiancé and I used to do long-distance, and on our first anniversary, he came to the state I was living in to visit.
It was the first time he would meet my family….During their first meeting, my dad decided to clean his weapons in front of him, but it backfired. My fiancé just got excited and started asking about it, sparking up a conversation. Reddit User: [redacted]
Stories About My Dad
My niece decided to bring her boyfriend over to meet me for the standard “He’s going to hurt you if you mess with me” speech. I’m a large and intimidating guy: 6’7” and 325lbs with a shaved head and tattoos. I try to give it to them in a joke-like manner so that they don’t think I’m a complete maniac, and I guess that’s where I went wrong….
One night at a party, my niece’s boyfriend got really wasted and started berating her, and she came to me in tears. I walk up to him as he’s sitting on a couch with his friends and and he asks, “What’cha gonna do?” I pick him up off the couch and smack his head on the ceiling…. I told him that that sound was God calling him home. He began to cry right then and there, in front of his friends. The relationship didn’t last very long after that. Reddit User: willmel
Retiring from Harming People
My dad passed over a decade ago, but it is still fun to share stories about his “overprotective” behavior. I was 16 years old and still “pure” when I had my first serious boyfriend. One day, we were in my room, just talking while sitting on the bed, and my dad must have heard us because he opened the door and said, “You… here… now…” to my boyfriend….
My father, a former drill sergeant and Vietnam veteran by the way, tells my boyfriend to put on his shoes and that they were going to go for a walk. They come back two hours later, and I ask him what he spoke about, and he says that he swore never to tell me.
We end up getting married, and even after my father’s death, he refuses to tell me what they spoke about….I guess that my father is so intimidating that he scares the life out of people, even from the grave. It still makes me smile to this day. Reddit User: offbeatchicken
Looking Out for His Little Sister
I was with my girlfriend for some time, and I knew her mom fairly well. I’d never met her father because he’d been deployed overseas for a while. One day, her mom goes to the airport to pick him up without our knowledge, and we’re left alone at her house.
We were watching Lord of the Rings….They show up two hours later, and because I’d never met him, I turned a ghost white color when I saw him. The first thing he says to me is, “Good, your clothes are still on. I thought I wasn’t done hurting people.” Reddit User: Shawnessy
“Nice Catch”
My older brother is four years older than I am, so when he graduated from high school, I was just beginning high school. In the middle of freshman year, there was a guy in the sophomore year who would not stop harassing me. He said some highly inappropriate things every time I walked by….
Even his buddies joined in on the fun, going so far as to block me from going down the hall so that the main guy would ask me to go on dates with him. When I would say no repeatedly, he would call me names, so I finally decided to do something about it.
I called my older brother, who went to college a few miles away….He shows up in the middle of the school day a week later, asks who the guy is, then drags him out, taking him behind the cafeteria. They return a few minutes later, and the guy says that he will never bother me again. Reddit User: adiehl90
An Application for Permission
I wasn’t a part of this, and I’m very thankful for it. My friend who is a police officer had a daughter who, one evening, brought her “male friend” home to meet her family. As the boy walked in the door, he tossed a small object at the young man and said, “Catch!”
The boy caught it, and when he looked at what it was, he noticed that it was that piece of a cop’s uniform. You know the dangerous one. The father then says, “Nice catch! Be careful; the next one might come a little faster.” Reddit User: Weartux_throwrose
My Punishment
My 17-year-old sister was just taken out on her first date, and before it was even allowed to happen, the young man taking her out had to fill out a copy of our dad’s ‘Application for Permission to Date My Daughter.’ When he was done, he shook my dad’s hand and gave it back to him….
After inspecting what rule number nine was, which included a bit about having a shovel and five acres of empty land behind the house, my father then told the two of them, “Be safe and have fun.” I approve of the boyfriend so far. Reddit User: Team_Alex
My Sister’s Bad Habit
When my girlfriend became pregnant with my daughter, it was a running joke among my friends that my future daughter was God’s punishment for my many years of being promiscuous. One day, my very own best friend was joking about it, and I’d just about had enough of hearing about it….
I was at a youth soccer game for my nephew when I shouted at my best friend (on the phone), “I don’t care if she turns out to be a circus clown, as long as my daughter doesn’t end up pregnant at 15!” The women near me almost died of shock. Reddit User: [redacted]
Anything You Can Do…
My younger sister had a very bad habit of dating some real idiots, and she often would rush into things, so we’d end up having an introduction to a new guy every couple of months. My father was sporting a mountain man beard for the last couple of years.
I had never seen him clean-shaven until one day….One of her boyfriends was over at our house and just happened to ask my dad why he didn’t have a beard. He responded by saying, “I only shave it when I seriously hurt someone.” Reddit User: turtleracer14
Don’t Play Volleyball
Back when I was in college, I was in a relationship and visited my then-girlfriend’s family so that we could get the pleasantries out of the way. I met my girlfriend’s dad, and the first thing he says to me is “Anything you do to my daughter, I’ll do to you.”
The message was coming from a 6’6” Army ranger who had an intimidating demeanor….I felt awkward beyond belief, and I’m happy that he didn’t follow through on his threat. I should have responded by saying, “Then I’ll be expecting chocolates on Valentine’s Day.” Reddit User: savageronald
Different Shorts
I’m a father, and I’m warning all of you, don’t let your daughters play volleyball; please avoid it at all costs. It’s going to save you a lot of suffering in the years to come. I once had to take my 12-year-old daughter shopping for a new pair of volleyball shorts.
Apparently, the correct size is like shrink-wrap for their nether regions….I kept sending her back to the dressing room to try on larger sizes until she said, “Dad, these are the biggest size they make,” and it was still hugging her in places that it shouldn’t. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Reddit User: ignignokt
I Hope I’m Guilty
My oldest daughter’s boyfriend went up to her room while everyone was downstairs to change into some shorts because we had some sprinklers going in the backyard. I noticed him going inside, and I called him while he was on his way back outside to talk to him.
I say, “You are an alright kid, but if I ever catch you comin’ out of my daughter’s room with different pants than you went up with…I’d hate to have to do something to you….” I was trying to be funny, but what I said did a number on him. I was brought to task by my wife and daughter, who forced me to go up and say that I was only kidding. Reddit User: grandpachaos
You’re Making Me Uncomfortable
I’ve actually been accused of being the reason why my daughter decided to break up with an old boyfriend of hers. The guy came to me and told me that himself. According to him, I “set an impossibly high standard” for anyone that would want to go out with her.
According to this guy, I was just too much for anyone to try and match up to. I didn’t feel bad when he told me that….In fact, I actually kind of hope that I’m guilty of what he said, and if not, I will attempt to do it even more. Reddit User: Charliekratos
4/20 Drama
Back when I was 15, my father allowed my boyfriend to come with us on our annual summer vacation. It was me, my brother, my stepmother, and my two stepbrothers. Things were going great, but three days in, he got upset because we were sitting too close to each other on the couch, but we weren’t even touching….
My father drove my boyfriend three hours to take him home, then three hours to come back to our vacation spot. He said that our behavior made everyone uncomfortable, which wasn’t true. When I asked him about it, he grounded me. Reddit User: FragileSerenity
My Dad
My younger sister decided to skip school on 4/20 back when she was in high school, and my dad decided to stay home when he found out what 4/20 was and what it included. My sister was in her male friend’s car when they pulled up to a stop sign fairly close to our home.
Coincidentally, my dad pulled up to the sign at the same time. He gets out of his vehicle, and my sister is shaking in her boots. The guy says he’s got it, and before he could say anything, my dad grabs him out of the car and gives him a shiner right in the face. That’s what you get for taking her out of school. Reddit User: amiragha
Keeping an Eye on Everything
My father is great, but he went to great lengths to scare any male he saw me with. A little background information: he’s a 6’4” former rugby player who had a black belt and a thick British accent. He also worked at the same university I attended, so things often got awkward….
Every time my father saw me with a guy, he would come over, introduce himself, give him a crushing handshake, then tell them how often he goes to the dojo. If that wasn’t bad enough, he tells them that he just started weapons class. Reddit User: clemontina
My Sister the KGB Sleeper Agent
My father, who I loved very much, was definitely a very strange man to say the least. He liked to keep an eye on everything, and when I say everything, I mean it. He had video cameras in every single room of the house to make sure he knew what was going on.
And if that wasn’t enough, he had microphones attached to every one of them….So not only could he see what was happening; he could hear it too. They all fed into a locked computer room which he, and only he, could access by using electronic devices. Reddit User: [redacted]
Doing God’s Work
I’m older than my 13-year-old sister, and I don’t think that I will ever need to be protective of her. I still kind of believe that she might be a KGB sleeper agent. There was one time when a boy groped her thigh, right in front of me, the nerve of the guy…
She immediately turned around on him and then she falcon punched him before I could even say anything. It was so quick and impressive. And then someone had to actually come help him because he was choking on his two front teeth. Reddit User: stonkingtat
Visiting My Sister
creativecommons.org/joegoauk73
I was on the receiving end of an overprotective father, but my story is a little bit different than most. I was 17 when I went to pick up a girl I was dating. I decided to wear a pair of jeans with many holes down the middle because I thought that it was very fashionable….
When I arrive, her father opens the door, looks me over, then tells me to wait outside. I was scared when he returned a minute later with a roll of duct tape. He proceeds to tape every single hole in my jeans. He was doing God’s work. Reddit User: letstalkaboutrocks
A Mother’s Lie
I’m a protective brother here. My 15-year-old genius sister goes to a boarding school that’s 45 minutes away from where I go to college, so I can visit her fairly often. One day she calls me crying about a boy at school who wouldn’t stop texting her.
He went as far as waiting for her outside of classes, then followed her four days in a row while she was on her running route….I hopped into my car and drove down to her school. She met me in the parking lot and told me that his texts got worse as time went on. It takes a lot for me to lose my temper, but after seeing the names he called her, I went berserk.
After treating her to lunch, I asked her friends if they knew he was, and they showed me….I found him circling around the outside of my sister’s dorm. I introduced myself and told him that if he continues to harass her, we would have a serious issue. She hasn’t heard from him since. Reddit User: [redacted]
My Father’s Strange Behavior
Back when I was in high school, I dated a black girl, and that made me a hipster. When she finally invited me to her home to meet her family, her mother told me, “Her daddy is locked up, but he will be out soon, so make sure you treat his baby girl with respect.” I freaked out, and after bringing it up with her because I was curious as to why he was there, I learned that the mom lied….
He’s never been to jail; in fact, he was in the military overseas. It didn’t make me feel any better. I met him when he returned home two years later, and he was a really nice guy. We dated for four years and broke up when she decided to take a job as an exotic dancer. Reddit User: HelpMeLoseMyFat
My father wasn’t the most conventional person in the world and, as such, was very funny with my sister. I distinctively remember the Friday afternoon my sister brought home her boyfriend to meet the family. They exchanged pleasantries for a little while.
Then her boyfriend, who seemed like a really nice guy, asked my dad, “What time would you like her back by?” To everyone’s shock and horror, my father responded by saying, “Hmm…. Have her back by Sunday.” 2 days later. Umm, excuse me? Reddit User: Seikho_M