Parenting teenagers often requires a mix of patience, grace and a sense of humor.

But when tensions ride in a blended family, even a harmless joke can land in unexpected territory.

That’s exactly what happened when one stepfather turned his stepdaughter’s earlier jab into a comeback of his own during a grocery-store trip.

Needless to say, things didn’t end well.

AITA for making a dad joke?

My step-daughter, Madeline, was about a year old when I married her mother, Jessica. Madeline’s father died before she was born.

Madeline has proved to be quite the rebellious teenager.

Madeline is currently 15, and she’s rebelling over almost everything. She did something bad, so while picking her up, I set a punishment for her.

Then she said, “You’re not my dad. I don’t have to follow you.”

At first, this stepfather was firm with his words.

Honestly, I got a bit hurt from that. But I understand that she didn’t mean it and that she’d probably change.

I just replied, “I’m still your legal guardian for the next 3 years, and as long as you’re in my house, you have to follow my rules.”

But then he tried a little humor to ease the tension.

That happened about 2 days ago. So our family was going grocery shopping when Madeline said, “I’m hungry. I need food.”

I decided to be extremely cheeky and said, “Hi Hungry, I’m not your dad.” My son just started to laugh uncontrollably.

It didn’t go well at all.

My daughter was quiet with embarrassment.

And my wife was berating me “not to stoop down to her level.”

I honestly thought it was a funny dad joke. And my son agrees.

So, AITA?

Sounds like this joke definitely didn’t land as intended.

This commenter doesn’t find anyone at fault in this story.

Even a rebellious teenager should understand that words hurt.

His step daughter’s reaction could be a sign that everyone needs to come together for a heart-to-heart.

There’s nuance here that’s important to pay attention to.

This stepfather wasn’t trying to be cruel, just cope with a little humor.

But if this blended family really wants to come together, they’ll have to rethink the way they speak to each other.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.