If you’re a person who was lucky enough to grow up with parents who were good, caring role models, then their opinions will carry a lot of weight no matter how old you are.

And there’s nothing quite as crushing as when your mom or dad expresses disappointment in you because they don’t approve of your lifestyle.

Yeah, it’s tough!

And it causes a lot of internal struggle and soul searching.

The young man who wrote this story on Reddit is at a crossroads because his father doesn’t think that he’s working hard enough in his career.

Yikes…no one wants to hear that, right?

Get all the details below and see what you think.

My dad thinks I’m ‘not working’ because I refused to keep working 6 days a week.

“I love my dad. He was a single parent who sacrificed everything to make sure my sisters and I had what we needed.

Growing up, I watched him work two jobs, six days a week, for years. He never called in sick and rarely took a vacation.

I always admired his work ethic, but I didn’t truly understand the weight of it until I entered the workforce myself.

I recently moved into a new apartment. My dad came up to help me move, buy some essentials, and grab lunch. It was a great day until the conversation inevitably turned to work.

Every parent worries about how their kids will fare in “the real world.”

He has this underlying anxiety that I won’t make enough or that I’ll fail—he doesn’t say it directly, but it’s there in every question he asks.

I told him the good news: my boss values me, I’m moving up, and I’m finally getting a raise. Most importantly, I told him I’m moving to a 5-day work week. I’ve been working 6 days a week for nearly 7 months now.

Between learning a new job, dealing with a move, and managing my depression, I am completely burnt out.

I even told him, “I can’t keep doing this long-term, and I shouldn’t be expected to.”

Some folks in the older generation view work/life balance differently.

The look on his face made it seem like I told him I had 24 hours to live. He immediately snapped back with, “Well, you can’t not work.”

I felt so defeated. I only took two days off to move my entire life before going right back to the grind.

My employer actually agreed with me—they admitted 6 days isn’t sustainable and are moving me to a 40-hour, 5-day schedule because it’s better for everyone.

It’s a logical, healthy boundary.

He doesn’t think his dad sees it that way.

But in his eyes, wanting one extra day to breathe is equivalent to laziness or “not working.”

It’s incredibly frustrating to have your exhaustion dismissed because the previous generation was conditioned to set themselves on fire to keep the engine running.

I can appreciate what he did for us while still refusing to repeat the cycle of burnout for myself.”

Reddit readers spoke up.

This person weighed in.

Another individual shared a story.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a bride whose sweet tribute to her biological family was foiled by her jealous adoptive mother.

This Reddit user spoke up.

Another individual shared their thoughts.

And this person didn’t hold back.

It’s easy to feel sympathetic for this guy, but he has to keep one thing in mind that should give him some peace: a lot of folks in the older generations believe that the only reason we’re put on this earth is to WORK.

That’s how they grew up, but some of them don’t understand that things are different these days.

It’s a brand new world!

And it seems like most younger people are more concerned with a life/work balance, which is a good thing.

This guy just needs to live his own life and do what makes him happy.

There are some people who think life revolves around work…and nothing else.