College Freshman Upset After Dad Turns Bedroom into Guest Room

A teen seeks advice from the Reddit community following a painful clash with her father about her childhood bedroom. The 18-year-old college freshman shares that just before moving into her dorm, her dad delivered a piece of news that left her stunned and heartbroken.

She explains in her post, “My dad (40M) told me the day before I left that he was going to pack up my stuff. He said, ‘Don’t be offended if I pack up your things and turn it into a guest room.’ ” The teen says she was instantly hurt and ended up crying in front of him.

According to her, the conversation only made things worse when her father tried to justify his decision. “He started asking how I didn’t know this and said I should’ve expected this because every family does this when their child goes to college,” she writes.

The teen insists she was blindsided by the sudden change, noting that her father had never seriously discussed the idea with her. “He also says that he’s mentioned it before but the only things I remember him saying could easily be taken for a joke. He never seriously talked to me about it or asked me if I wanted this.”

What hurts the most, she says, is how much his assumption impacted her own choices. “He assumed I did because I was getting a dorm but if I knew he was going to pack up my things and get rid of my room I wouldn’t have gone to this college.” The lack of communication left her devastated and questioning her place in her own home.

For the teen, this transition was never supposed to feel like leaving home for good. “This is my first year of college and I had always thought of it as like a boarding school type situation. I never thought that it was like moving out completely.”

The emotional toll has been heavy, and she admits it has left her feeling rejected. “I feel really depressed about this and I feel as if I’m being kicked out, but I’m not sure if I’m just being dramatic or not.” She even compared her experience with her peers to see if her father’s actions were common.

“I’ve talked to some people dorming near me and this hasn’t happened to any of them. Is this normal?” she asks the community, expressing her confusion over whether her father’s decision is typical or something out of the ordinary.

In an effort to understand her feelings, the teen reached out to her dad again weeks later. “I texted my dad two weeks after moving and told him that I talked to my friends and that it wasn’t normal and I was confused on why he was doing this.” His response, however, didn’t soothe her concerns.

“He just gave a simple, ‘You’ll always have a home here,’ but then when I visited that weekend I saw all my stuff in boxes.” The sight of her belongings packed away only reinforced the idea that she was being pushed aside.

Her post ends with a heartfelt question to the community: “AITA for being angry at him?” She wonders if her emotional response to losing her room is justified or if she’s overreacting to an inevitable part of growing up.

One commenter quickly empathized with the teen, pointing out how her father’s lack of clarity played a major role in her distress. “Tbh, it sounds like your dad didn’t communicate this well with you at all. It isn’t a universal rule that parents clear out their kid’s room once they hit college, it varies from fam to fam.”

The same commenter encouraged her to make her feelings known. “Try to tell him how you feel and also the dorm’s just a temp spot and doesn’t replace your home.” Their words highlight the difference between a place to stay and a place that feels like home.

Another user took an even stronger stance, siding firmly with the teen. “Dad is a jerk. He’s effectively made you a guest in your own home. A dorm isn’t a home. It’s a place you stay when class is in session.”

As the thread grew, the responses reflected a shared understanding of why the young woman feels so deeply hurt. To her, her room wasn’t just a space — it was her safe place, and losing it without warning left her feeling unwelcome in the one home she’s always known.

Now the teen is left to navigate her first year of college while processing a profound shift in her family dynamic.