Sometimes, the people closest to us can point out things we don’t want to hear, even if they mean well.

So, what would you do if a friend criticized your parenting approach, comparing you to a parent you have a complicated relationship with? Would you take the comment into consideration? Or would you feel hurt?

In the following story, a man did this very thing to his best friend and now questions if he was wrong. Here’s what happened.

AITA for telling my best friend he is starting to sound like his dad?

My(30m) best friend ‘Jack'(30) and I have known each other since we were 12. His son ‘Ed'(10) is like a nephew to me. The kid even calls me uncle.

Now, Jack was venting to me about how he and his wife couldn’t get Ed to read. I thought about it for a while. The kid likes spy movies, and watched each of the Mission Impossible films more times than we can count.

So, I bought him a novel about a 12-year-old who is recruited by the CIA and trained at a spy academy for talented kids. It got his interest, and he is reading the book right now.

This one stung a little.

But Jack said I shouldn’t have gotten him something with such a ‘ludicrous, far-fetched plot.’ I told him it’s entertaining because of the ludicrous plot, and you need the kid to enjoy reading first before he’ll start reading more serious stuff.

Jack thinks ‘reading silly books is pointless,’ so I told him that that sounds like something his dad would say.

He immediately bristled at that and said I shouldn’t compare him to the man since I know how complicated their relationship is (Jack’s dad is a doctor who constantly pressured him to read only science books and spent years trying to get him to want to go to medical school. Didn’t allow him to read fantasy novels when we were kids since they were unscientific).

AITA?

Yikes! That’s a very awkward situation.

Let’s see what advice the readers over at Reddit have to offer.

Such a great point!

According to this person, he should really put it into perspective for Jack.

This person can definitely relate to the kid.

Here’s a librarian who’s seen this happen too many times.

This is an excellent way to look at it.

Hopefully, Jack comes around.

He didn’t like when his dad did this to him, so he shouldn’t do this to his son.

If you enjoyed that story, read this one about a mom who was forced to bring her three kids with her to apply for government benefits, but ended up getting the job of her dreams.