Her Dad Doesn’t Believe Women Should Travel Alone—So He Locked Her Passport In His Safe

Reddit user u/Moist_Double_7226 (22F) has a dad (44M) who runs a tight ship — and by tight, we’re talking “confiscated passport” tight. His reasoning? He has a strong belief that women should not travel alone, so he keeps her passport locked away in a safe like it’s a rare artifact.

Eventually, the Redditor decided she’d had enough of the international lockdown. So she quietly swiped his keys, opened the safe, grabbed her passport, and locked everything back up like a low-budget spy movie.

Fast forward to today, when her dad calmly called to ask if she had taken it. She denied it, and when he pressed, she doubled down, essentially committing to the bit.

He told her he needed to know the truth so he wouldn’t “worry about other possibilities,” which somehow sounded more ominous than reassuring. She continued to say no, and he warned that whatever she had done was “between her and God,” adding that all lies eventually come to light.

Now the OP is spiraling with guilt and anxiety. She admits she lied because her dad has emotionally disowned her for less, and even traveling with her mom to visit relatives seems to set him off.

She’s torn between feeling justified and feeling terrible. So now she’s asking the internet: was she wrong for lying, or was this just the only way to reclaim her own passport — and maybe a little independence too?

She quietly swiped his keys, opened the safe, grabbed her passport, and locked everything back up like a low-budget spy movie.

AI-generated image

Here’s the original post by Reddit user u/Moist_Double_7226.

I (22F) have a very strict dad (44M), that has a very strong aversion to women travelling alone. Because of this he’s always kept my passport but one day I decided I had enough and sneakily stole his keys to open up his safe where he has lots of different important documents. I took my passport and closed the safe again as if nobody was there. Fast forward he calls me today to calmly ask me about whether I took my passport, I played dumb and said no-he kept pressing about but since I’ve already lied I decided to dig my grave. He doesn’t believe me and stressed that he needed to know if I took it so he won’t need to worry about other possibilites. I still lied and said no and he told me that what I’ve done with my passport is between me and god (yeah he’s religious) and that all my lies will be exposed. I’m feeling really anxious and guilty about this, but I did lie because he’s emotionally disowned me for less and me travelling with my mom to see my other relatives seems to be a huge trigger. Maybe I should’ve come clean, I don’t know. I keep getting mixed reactions from people. AITA for lying to my dad?

Let’s see how the Reddit community reacted.

Epiphone56

That’s not stealing.

Big_Alternative_3233

You’re an adult!

GeminiAtl

NTA.

MyDogsNameIsToes

You need to get out of that house.

small-black-cat-290

He’s controlling and abusive.

moonhrafn

Your passport, your property.

NoArtichoke6319

Those documents belong to you.

Vicssy

You can do whatever you like with those documents.

Isship

Start living your own life.

Gloomy_Researcher769

You can’t steal what is rightfully yours.

CeramicSavage

What he did is illegal.

juicylight

He has no right to take your passport.

The_Bastard_Henry

At its core, this isn’t just about a passport — it’s about independence, control, and the fallout that comes with pushing back. The OP got her document back, but now she’s left juggling guilt, anxiety, and a dad who clearly isn’t convinced.