Dad jokes are in a category all their own for a reason — because they're so cringey that we often can't tell if they're hilarious or downright awful. Usually, it's a combination of both.
Turns out, step-dad jokes are exactly the same. At least, if the savage ornament one parent made out of his step-daughter's meltdown is any indication.
The dad posted a photo of the ornament on Reddit last week, presumably right after the family had hung it on their tree. "My step-daughter had a melt down while taking Christmas pictures a few years ago so I made this ornament that we now hang on the tree every year," he wrote.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
The (very meta) ornament shows the little girl making a cry-face while hanging an ornament on the tree. And the people of Reddit don't quite know what to make of it. Some think it's hilarious, and are sharing similar stories of parents who poked a little fun at their kids.
"My parents have a picture of me crying and picking my nose at the same time (age 5 years) that they proudly display on the coffee table. It’s a hoot," one person wrote.
"When my sister was a teenager, someone snapped a picture of her with a super grumpy look on her face, while she was cleaning a bathroom at summer camp or something," wrote another. "It was an objectively awful picture. Our step-dad had it blown up and framed, and gave it to her for Christmas. It was hilarious, my sister laughed, we all laughed."
Yet, other people find the ornament mean, and worry what this will do to the step-daughter's emotional wellbeing.
"Tormenting your step-daughter for having emotions? And who said step-dads aren’t supportive," wrote one person.
"I'm sure that will have no psychological impact on her and she will have a trusting, deep relationship with you," another wrote. And there are plenty of other similar comments, claiming that a parent shouldn't make fun of a child in a vulnerable moment.
While we can see value in this argument — after all, we all have emotions and should be allowed to express them — this joke seems to be in good fun, and the original poster wrote that his step-daughter finds it funny, too.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
When someone sarcastically implied that his step-daughter wouldn't have allowed him to post the photo on Reddit, the poster wrote, "She’s fully aware actually. She's got a great sense of humour and has enough confidence that she can laugh at herself every once and awhile. Thanks for being so concerned though!"
Read these stories next: