I’m a 34-year-old man and gave a 14-year-old girl a ride home late at night. People are calling me a ‘creep’ but what else was I supposed to do?
A man who offered a 14-year-old girl a lift home when he saw her walking alone late at night has been accused of “creepy” behaviour by his wife – but not everyone agrees.
The 34-year-old man was driving home from work when he saw the young girl walking alone in a “not exactly safe environment.” He kindly offered to take her.
“It would have taken her a while to walk. She was at a party and her car had left without her… but no one she knew was sober enough to drive,” he said online.
The man finally arrived home after dropping the girl off, and found his wife waiting for him. She was not happy with what he had done.
“My wife asked why it was taking me so long and I explained everything. She said it was wrong and scary to offer a ride to a girl her age and that I shouldn’t have done it,” he said.
“I don’t think it’s wrong… I think it’s better that she found a safe way home than to potentially get hurt or get picked up by someone with bad intentions.”
The man said the girl’s safety was more important than his reputation and thousands of people on Reddit agreed with him.
“What’s wrong with your wife?” someone asked.
A man who offered a 14-year-old girl a lift home when he saw her walking alone late at night has been accused of being ‘creepy’ by his wife – but not everyone agrees
“For public opinion, it’s only the optics that count,” added another.
“How is it ‘scary’ to help someone else get home safely?” asked a third.
Many claimed that doing the right thing while risking getting into trouble made you a good person.
“I don’t want to live in a world where you’re seen as an asshole for this. I 100 percent understand that there could be accusations thrown around so I’d be hesitant to help, but (like you) I’d rather know they’re safe,” one person said.
“Thank you for being brave enough to help someone in need. We need more people like you,” added another.
Many parents indicated that they found the idea of their child being taken away by an older man ‘uncomfortable’ but that they would rather do this than have their child walk alone in a dangerous environment at night.
“I would NOT be happy if my child was put in this situation, which could have been very dangerous, but I would be very grateful for the original poster,” one of them said.
Some suggested that the man should have recorded the ride as a precaution, or that the child should have called the parents to “establish trust.”
Others said the situation showed why it is important for children to be able to contact their parents to help them out of a difficult situation without getting into trouble themselves.
“I’d like to think my kids would call me to pick them up instead of risking walking/driving with a stranger. If they feel like they can’t call us, that’s probably our fault,” said one parent.
A few people wondered why the woman didn’t trust her husband at first.
“I’d be more concerned about the state of your relationship. Why would your wife ever assume YOU would be creepy, you know?” said one.
“Next time call her an Uber or call your wife. This could have gone bad really fast,” said another.