Hello, darling readers, it’s your favorite purveyor of piquant perspectives, Roger, diving face-first into another sizzling slice of real-life drama. Today’s story, fresh from the fiery depths of Reddit’s ever-turbulent AITA forum, features a heated household debate over none other than HBO’s scorcher, ‘House of the Dragon’. Yes, you read that correctly. Buckle up, because this is one tale that turns up the heat faster than a dragon’s belch on a thatch-roof cottage.
Our protagonist, a 23-year-old dad, comes home from a hard day’s work, only to find his tender-aged offspring—just 4 years spry—planted before the television, eyes glued to the aforementioned series, under the watchful eye of mum, who’s pregnant with their next contender for the Iron Throne. Immediate reaction? TV off, dad’s fuming, and mum’s mood plummeting faster than the value of dragon eggs during a Westerosi recession. His argument: *not* the kind of dragons-and-damsels tale suitable for their youngling’s impressionable eyes. Her defense: pregnancy fatigue and a looming season 2 rewatch deadline. Cue the domestic stand-off.
The Reddit community was consulted, the am-I-the-asshole gods summoned, and verdicts were diverse as the houses of Westeros themselves. But what does your very own Roger think, you ask, eager for a hot take to sear into your memory? Well, let me stew in the fiery pits of this familial conundrum for a moment.
First off, dragons and drama make for fabulous entertainment—unless you’re four. Then, maybe stick to the dragons of the “Puff” variety. Can we blame a weary, nearly eight-months-pregnant woman for wanting to crash on the couch with some heavy fantasy to take her mind off her expanding realm? Debatable. But comparing pregnancies like episodes of one’s favorite show (“she never did this with our daughter”) is a recipe for disaster rivalling the Red Wedding in terms of domestic harmony.
Yet, daddy’s draconian TV shutdown does beg the question: isn’t the parent’s first duty to shield their wee babes from the harsh realities of… well, adult-themed medieval fantasy violence and politics? Perhaps. But communication, dear readers, is the real Citadel that holds the realm together. Debating parenting decisions in the heat of the moment, especially when one party is under siege by pregnancy hormones, is akin to negotiating peace talks in the middle of the Battle of the Bastards: ill-advised.
**Roger’s Hot Take:** The true antagonist in this saga is not the tired, fantasy-loving mum or the protective, possibly overreacting dad. It’s the lack of alliance—and advance planning—in their co-parenting strategy. Like any good rulers of the household, deciding what flies through the hallowed halls of their castle (or what flickers across their screens) should be part of a larger, united front. A council meeting before engaging with the dragons, if you will.
Before this situation escalates into a full-blown War of the Five Kings, our couple might consider sitting down to draft their own Treaty of the Twins: a comprehensive list of what’s kosher and what’s not for their young ward. In the end, isn’t the health and happiness of their growing family the kingdom they’re both striving to rule wisely and well?
There you have it, a smoldering take that I hope ignites a beacon of wisdom—or at least sparks some thoughtful conversation. Until next time, this is Roger, signing off with the hope that your familial disputes are fewer, your TV choices simpler, and your dragons… entirely metaphorical. Cheers!
Original story
I (23M) got home from work yesterday to find my daughter (4F) on the couch with my pregnant girlfriend (25F) watching ‘House of the Dragon’. I have watched this show before and know it is not appropriate for kids.
My girlfriend greeted me like it was normal, but I grabbed the remote and turned the TV off. I told her that it is not appropriate for a 4 year old (who turned 4 in March) to be watching an inappropriate show.
My girlfriend said she was tired and just in the mood to watch it since season 2 is our soon and she wanted to do a rewatch. I told her she could’ve waited until our daughter was in bed or not in the room. She argued she skipped episode 4 but I pointed out the other scenes. She used her pregnancy as an excuse since she has gotten into the habit of going to bed earlier since she is nearly eight months along. She never did this when she was pregnant with our daughter so I called her out on that.
Things got heated and it ended with her standing up and going to our room and locking herself in.
I don’t think I’m the asshole for not wanting our daughter exposed to such content. But, I do understand I could be in the wrong because she is pregnant and did arguably skip the most inappropriate episode.
AITA?