James Sullivan Reece

He’s basically saying the structured, strict dad ends up being the villain while the “do whatever you want” house is the one the kids actually like going to. And he’s got kids outside the marriage, so he’s only getting them part-time and trying to enforce rules in that limited window. You can hear the frustration. He checks phones, sets bedtimes, won’t let them run wild, and then the kids treat him like he’s the problem. The daughter only hitting him up for money part is especially rough and him telling the mom she’s teaching her to use men is the kind of conversation that almost never goes well. A lot of dads in split situations end up in this exact spot: they try to be the parent with standards and end up looking like the bad guy to the kids who prefer the freer house. Whether “just cut them loose” is the right call is another thing, but the feeling he’s describing is pretty common.