A high school junior showed her parents the love letter a classmate wrote her, unsure of how to respond to the "odd message" that included his detailed sexual fantasies, leading to a disagreement between her parents on how to handle the uncomfortable situation.
The girl's father posted about the confessional letter in Reddit's parenting forum, asking for impartial guidance. He described the message as "disturbing," and was shocked that his wife and daughter were accusing him of overreacting.
He provides a truncated version of the letter, in which the classmate says he's been in love with his daughter since their freshman year and selects classes based on what classes she's taking, despite never having spoken to her.
"With a love this strong we don't need to meet or talk to know it's real," the letter reads.
"If you don't love me back then I do not know how I will ever move on in life," the boy allegedly claims, going on to say, "My life is of very low quality," as he describes poor relationships and past traumas, insisting "it will all be fine if you are in love with me."
The letter also, according to the father, "recounts several graphic fantasies" about his daughter, and the boy admits "some of [his] favorite memories this year" are of times he's followed the girl without speaking to her.
"I wanted to print out copies and bring one to the school admin and one to the local police to start a paper trail of this kid," the father wrote. His daughter, however, said she felt bad for him.
His wife's suggestion was to write a kind reply saying she'd be happy to become friends.
"I cannot overstate how strongly I disagree with my wife on this," writes the father. "I don't want this kid anywhere near her."
"My wife says I've forgotten what it's like to be young and not savvy or smooth. On my worst day as an adolescent pickup artist I never said or did anything like what this kid has," the father said in defense of the "bad feeling" he has about the situation as he asks Reddit how they would respond.
Unanimously, Redditors assure the father he is not overreacting. Almost everyone urges him to involve the school administrators, with many supporting his impulse to contact police.
Commenters recount personal experiences of harassment or stalking behaviors, with some recommending the family seek out a protective order for the daughter, buy pepper spray and ensure she doesn't go places alone.
Users are either outraged by the wife's "under-reaction," or gently critical, with the allowance that women experience cultural conditioning to placate potentially dangerous men.
The father replied to several posts, thanking commenters for their input and validation of his concerns, but has not yet updated the post as to what course of action he plans to take.
According to StalkingAwareness.org, one in three women experience stalking at some point in their lifetime, and 72% of stalking victims were threatened with physical harm.
If you or someone you know have concerns about stalking, you're encouraged to contact local law enforcement, or call or text Victim Connect for confidential referrals to resources at 1-855-484-2446.
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