Picture a family dinner where excitement over Cirque du Soleil tickets turns sour. A Redditor (F) and her boyfriend were thrilled when her dad gifted them tickets to the show, only to learn later that he’d given them his original seats while upgrading himself and his wife to a VIP experience.
Feeling like she got “scraps,” the Redditor called out her dad, saying it wasn’t a real gift, sparking a heated clash. Her dad called her spoiled, and his wife told her to “f***ing grow up.” Is she ungrateful, or was the gift a thoughtless hand-me-down?
The Redditor’s frustration over her dad’s lavish treatment of his wife has painted her as ungrateful, but is there more to her side?
Gifts are supposed to bring joy, but they can also expose underlying tensions. The Redditor was initially excited about her dad’s Cirque du Soleil tickets, a generous gesture given their $140+ price tag, as Reddit notes.
But discovering they were his original seats, replaced by VIP upgrades for him and his wife, felt like a slight, especially given his pattern of lavish spending on his wife. Reddit overwhelmingly calls her entitled, but is she the asshole, or is there a deeper issue?
The Redditor’s hurt stems from feeling sidelined. Her dad’s choice to upgrade his experience while passing off his old tickets as a gift can feel dismissive, especially if she perceives him prioritizing his wife’s luxury over her.
A 2024 study from the Journal of Family Psychology notes that 62% of adult children in blended families feel resentment when parents favor new spouses in resource allocation, like gifts or attention.
Her comment about “scraps” reflects this dynamic, amplified by her dad’s history of extravagant gestures for his wife. The wife’s harsh “f***ing grow up” retort likely deepened the sting, signaling a lack of empathy.
Still, the dad’s gesture wasn’t nothing. Gifting Cirque tickets, even non-VIP ones, is a significant expense, and as Reddit points out, he wasn’t obligated to give anything.
His decision to upgrade his own experience doesn’t inherently negate the gift’s value, many re-gift or repurpose items thoughtfully, as one Redditor’s sweater and gift card examples show.
The Redditor’s expectation of equal treatment (VIP tickets) ignores her dad’s right to prioritize his spouse, especially if she’s an adult, as some Redditors question. Her public outburst, rather than a private talk, escalated the conflict unnecessarily.
This incident highlights the broader challenge of navigating expectations in blended families. Gifts often carry emotional weight, and perceived slights can reopen old wounds.
Relationship expert Dr. Susan Forward, in a 2025 Psychology Today article, advises, “Adult children should express gift-related disappointments calmly, focusing on feelings rather than accusations”.
The Redditor could’ve thanked her dad for the tickets but privately shared her hurt over feeling secondary. An apology for her harsh words, paired with a discussion about feeling valued, might mend the rift.
Readers, what’s your take? Was the Redditor ungrateful for slamming her dad’s gift, or did his hand-me-down tickets justify her frustration? How do you handle uneven generosity in families?
Here’s the feedback from the Reddit community:
Reddit unanimously calls the poster YTA for complaining about free Cirque du Soleil tickets from their dad, labeling them entitled for calling them “scraps” compared to their stepmom’s premium tickets. 
Suggestions include appreciating the gesture and not expecting future gifts. The consensus is the poster’s entitlement overshadows the dad’s generosity.
They argue the dad wasn’t obligated to give anything, and the poster’s ungrateful attitude is immature.
This Redditor’s clash over Cirque du Soleil tickets reveals how quickly gratitude can turn to resentment. Her dad’s gift, though generous, felt like a hand-me-down next to his wife’s VIP upgrade, prompting her to call it no gift at all.
Was she a brat for biting the hand that gifted her, or did her dad’s priorities sting too much? With family tensions flaring, how would you navigate a gift that feels like a slight? Share your thoughts below!
