Am I Wrong for Setting a Curfew for My 15-Year-Old Sister?

Some families “raise” their kids in the background, without paperwork, without control, and without the luxury of doing things the usual way. In this Reddit post, a 31-year-old man is trying to keep his 15-year-old sister, Charlee, on a basic schedule, even though their dad is not around and their mom is… complicated.

Charlee spends a lot of time with her brother and his fiancé, basically living in their orbit because somebody has to. So when she was going to a school dance with a boy she insists is “totally just her friend,” OP laid out the rules: text him when they arrive, text him when she’s on her way home, and be back by 10:30.

What happens next turns a simple curfew into a full-blown family fight, and OP is left wondering if he crossed a line.

Original Post

I (31M) have a younger sister "Charlee" (15F). Her father isn't around, and she has a strained relationship with our mother (it's complicated).

So while I don't have legal custody of her, Charlee spends a lot of her time with my fiancé and I. We are unofficially raising her because somebody's got to.

Charlee was going to a school dance recently with a "boy who's totally just her friend". When he came to pick her up, I gave them both instructions - she was to text me when they got to the dance, text me when she was on her way home, and be home by 10:30.

She didn't seem bothered at the time...but when she came home she was LIVID.

She says that she's 15 and can make her own decisions, and that I need to stay out of her business. AITA for giving a curfew to a 15 year old?

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It’s a lot like the coworker who stole credit for innovative work and got called out.

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The night starts like it’s under control, with Charlee agreeing to text OP after the dance and before heading home.

Then the moment Charlee walks in, she’s not just annoyed, she’s LIVID about the curfew and the check-ins.

OP hears the classic argument, she’s 15, she can make her own decisions, and he should “stay out of her business.”

Now OP is stuck replaying the whole school dance pickup, the texts he demanded, and that 10:30 deadline, wondering if he really went too far.

What do you think about this situation? Let us know in the comments.

He might be trying to keep Charlee safe, but now he’s wondering if he made her feel controlled instead.

Want another hard call about “covering for someone,” check out the 31-year-old who refused to cover a coworker’s last-minute shift.