December 26, 2025 at 6:35 pm

Teenage Girl Doesn’t Like To Work Overtime, But Her Parents Think She’s Lazy For Leaving Work On Time

by Jayne Elliott

parents yelling at teenage girl who is looking straight ahead

Shutterstock/Reddit

Imagine being a teenager with your first real job, and you work at the same company as your parents but in different departments.

If your parents worked long hours, would you leave work as soon as your shift was over, or would you work as much overtime as possible?

In this story, one teenage girl is in this situation. She doesn’t want to work overtime, and her parents have a problem with that.

Keep reading for all the details.

AITA for being a clock watcher?

Some context, I (18f) made the mistake of joining a company that one of my parents also works at.

We work in different departments and despite my parent being an upper manager, they don’t technically have any control over my job.

Also key, they have shares in the company and I don’t (despite being promised).

She avoids working overtime as much as possible.

The conflict: I start my day at exactly 9:00am and end it exactly at 5:00. I don’t work a minute over. I take my lunch from 12:30-1:30.

I have in the last worked overtime, but this is very rare and only when there is an emergency situation so other people don’t have to fix the problem all by themselves.

Her parents think she should work overtime.

My parents works all hours of the day, barely takes lunch. They get very stressed.

Today they called me both ‘stupid’ and ‘lazy’ for sticking to my contracted hours.

Lazy because I don’t work longer and stupid because they view the extra hours as integral to my career development (this is not my chosen career path FYI).

I don’t view the hours after 5:00pm as more important or better training the the 8 hours I worked before it.

So Reddit AITA?

Should I be more willing to work longer hours unpaid?

Would this actually help me develop skills quicker?

Working overtime is not a life skill. Just because her parents are workaholics doesn’t mean she has to be.

Let’s see what Reddit has to say about this story.

I assume she would get paid for the overtime. If not, she really doesn’t have any reason at all to work late.

Screenshot 2025 12 13 at 11.19.11 AM Teenage Girl Doesnt Like To Work Overtime, But Her Parents Think Shes Lazy For Leaving Work On Time

This person prioritizes family over work.

Screenshot 2025 12 13 at 11.19.34 AM Teenage Girl Doesnt Like To Work Overtime, But Her Parents Think Shes Lazy For Leaving Work On Time

Companies don’t really care about their employees.

Screenshot 2025 12 13 at 11.19.52 AM Teenage Girl Doesnt Like To Work Overtime, But Her Parents Think Shes Lazy For Leaving Work On Time

This person thinks the parents have really messed up.

Screenshot 2025 12 13 at 11.20.10 AM Teenage Girl Doesnt Like To Work Overtime, But Her Parents Think Shes Lazy For Leaving Work On Time

Family and happiness is more important that working overtime.

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.