Dad breaks 14-year streak, announces he won't peel oranges for daughter anymore: 'It's time, baby girl'

A high school senior, Megs, who goes by @megsullivan07 on X (formerly called Twitter), was caught off guard when she found an unexpected note from her father in her lunch. At first, what appears to be a dad's goofy rant about packing his daughter's lunch duty hits deeper once you realize the true meaning behind it.

In a now-viral post that Megs had shared in 2017, she shared how her daddy-dearest, who had been peeling oranges for her lunch since kindergarten, switched things up on the very last day of her high school. Well, this time, her father had packed unpeeled, whole oranges for her lunch, along with a note that read, "It's time, baby girl," with a sad emoji drawn at the end. When Megs opened the note, she found it was written on a paper that was basically a tutorial on "How to peel an orange." The small yet profound moment revealed a lot about Megs' father, the one where he wanted his beloved daughter to start taking charge of her life. The handwritten note possibly hinted at how, at every step of her life, he would be there for Megs, protecting her like a soldier, but ultimately, she would have to fight and win her own battles.

As parents, it's natural that we want our kids to grow in a very comfortable environment, but what we don't often realize is that by doing so, we are actually hindering their growth, making them extremely dependent on others. Now, Haymarket Children's Academy says that parents who go above and beyond, applying the self-reliance theory of development, raise kids with high self-esteem, good problem-solving skills, a sense of security, and an improved ability to make decisions independently. This, perhaps, explains why Megs' father decided to no longer peel oranges for her, as he knew it was time for her to be self-dependent. 

The heartwarming post received an outpouring of love on social media, with people appreciating Megs' dad for being an absolute sweetheart! For instance, @wikihow commented, "Your dad is verifiably the sweetest person on the planet. But also, hahahah, the shade." @helentheshark said, "Megs, this is the sweetest tweet, and your Pop deserves a medal. Maybe an orange one. Hugs." Similarly, @ebooksyearn, a parent wrote, "Your dad is cool. I hope my daughters tweet something like this when they're you're age!" @alwaystruetexan wished, "Your dad is awesome! Good luck to you as you venture out on your own!"

Another user who goes by @rockique said, "Bawling my eyes out thinking about the fact that one day I'm gonna have to stop peeling my son's oranges (Congrats!)" @ella wrote, "I'm crying like it's just oranges, but it's also so much more. Congratulations on finishing high school." Echoing the sentiments, @rabwhian commented, "This is how parents are! They keep doing things for us for years, but when it comes to us to 'peel an orange' for them, we lose patience." Likewise, a person, @jcextra, wrote, "I have to say HALLMARK should make a card with his 4 words, 'It's time, baby girl,' imprinted inside for Father's Day, just in time." On the other hand, @kingschmooze23 shared, "Your dad is a role model for the rest of us. I'll have to start doing this with my son next year for preschool."

You can follow Megs (@megsullivan07 on X) for more lifestyle content.