Published on Reddit’s u/TrueOffMyChest forum, a man under the anonymous username u/crazed_tired shared his story and received many positive comments. The viral post has over 10,000 upvotes and 700 comments.

The original poster (OP) began his story by explaining that his daughter recently turned 13. Unfortunately, her mom passed away when she was three and he has been working to make sure his daughter is “empowered” and wants her to be an “independent” and “smart” woman.

“Even though my daughter is smart I as a dad worry about her ending up In a bad and toxic relationship,” he admitted, “Over the years I made it a thing for twice a year I take her out on a ‘date’ somewhere fancy for dinner. I always get her flowers and let her always order whatever she wants from the menu. We have done this since she was 5 so it has been going on for twice a year for about 8 years.”

“Last night I asked her where she wanted to go for are date so I can start make reservations. She asked if we had to do that. I told her of course we didn’t have to but also ask why she didn’t want to. She said she thinks it’s becoming babyish and she thinks she told old to still be going on daddy daughter dates. I told her I get it and we don’t have to anymore,” he continued.

He wrote that it did upset him as he thinks it’s likely that she won’t want to hang out with him. He understands that she is growing up, but she will always be his “little girl.”

Newsweek reached out to u/crazed_tired for comment.

Newsweek has published several articles regarding teens including how a teen was praised online for telling her dad she “didn’t sign up” to babysit her stepsister and a dad blasted by the internet for calling his teen “irresponsible” over things she can’t control.

How to let your teenager have room to grow all while keeping them close

Allowing your teenager to grow into an independent person is allowing them wiggle room to gain that independence. The want for independence is an essential part of human development as stated by newportacademy.com. It is important that teenagers learn about responsibility, how to form their own values and make decisions.

According to verywellfamily.com, here are some tips on how to loosen the reins on your teen yet keep them close:

Understand the changes and experiences that they endure as teenagersExplain crucial rules to your teen about respect towards you and othersUse your best judgment and know when to dig deeper in regards to bullying, peer pressure and being excluded from activitiesDon’t be afraid of being dislikedBe cautious of lashing out at your teen if they disrespect you and let them know when they are disrespectfulLoosen your grip and allow your teen to take reasonable risks and mistakes as it can be a good life lesson

Redditor reactions

U/PuckettAll received the top comment of over 13,000 upvotes, “As a former 13 year old daughter, now a 35 year old daughter. I promise you, with every ounce of my being, you have already made a world of difference for her regarding her future relationships; both with herself and with others. And she will one day come back and tell you she wants to do the daddy/daughter dates again.

“You giving her those examples of what treatment to accept is admirable, you allowing her to voice her request to stop the dates and accepting her decision without resistance is exceptionally vital and sets the precedent that her declination is heard and powerful. You have taught her that No is a full sentence, that’s the best gift you could have given her, way to go dad,” the commenter continued.

“As the dad of a 5 year old girl, I may or may not be crying at my desk at work while reading this. We don’t do anything quite this formal, but she’s the type of kid that always wants to be doing what I’m doing. If I’m outside grilling, she’s out there with me. If I go to the driving range, she begs to come. I know that won’t last forever, and this post just gives me the motivation to always try to include her in things as much as possible, for one day it will end,” u/aj453016 said.

“She is at an age where you should de-emphasize the ‘date’ and flowers part, and just take her out to dinner at her choice of restaurants and talk and listen. You have already imparted the lesson you wanted to, and her speaking up is evidence of this,” u/CharZero suggested.

U/bagoice commented, “I was also raised by a single father. When I was your daughters age, I began to withdraw and never want to speak to my dad. He was concerned, but he was patient and consistent. Now I’m 27, we talk multiple times a week and go on vacations together every year! We went to Alaska just the 2 of us in May. He’s my bestie now!”