The stunning success of the House of the Dragon series clearly shows us that the classic plot of “stepmother versus princess” can develop in different directions, and that it's not always a stepdaughter who becomes an uncomplaining victim of an evil stepmom.
Well, the story that we'll tell you today does not pretend to be on the scale of the famous series, there is not a single dragon here (there is shampoo and other hair care products, though), but otherwise everything is there: a stepmom, a stepdaughter and an indifferent father. By the way, the main narrator here is the dad himself, the user u/throwawaythumb1.
More info: Reddit
The author of the post remarried recently and his teen daughter from the first marriage wasn't happy with the new stepmom
Image credits: RDNE Stock project (not the actual photo)
The girl clearly showed this from the very first moment, but the dad just decided it was only a matter of time until they got along
Image credits: u/throwawaythumb1
However, the situation worsened further when the woman moved in with her new husband and the girl
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
Image credits: u/throwawaythumb1
The teen repeatedly behaved badly towards the stepmom - and the dad preferred to stay as neutral as Switzerland
Image credits: Armin Rimold (not the actual photo)
Image credits: u/throwawaythumb1
The last straw was when the teen threw out the stepmom's hair care products - and the man once more did nothing
Now let's move on to the story itself - it all started with the fact that the Original Poster (OP), a man of 39 years old, a few months ago married "Nelly", a woman a couple of years younger than him, and she moved in with him. And everyone seemed to be quite happy, but the author’s 16-year-old daughter from his first marriage, “Megan,” disliked her stepmom literally at first sight.
To be honest, we don’t know the exact reasons why the teen was so hostile to her father’s new sweetheart, but the girl made it clear that family life for Nelly wouldn't be cloudless at all. The father decided to stick to the win-win (for him, at first glance) option “Habit brings liking.” As further events will show, it was completely in vain.
After Nelly moved into her husband's house, the situation only worsened. Megan did not miss literally a single opportunity to show her bad attitude towards her stepmom, while simultaneously emphasizing over and over again that this was her and her dad’s house, not “this woman's...”
Once again, the OP did nothing to somehow resolve the conflict, allowing his daughter to go further and further. For example, when Megan demanded that Nelly not leave her shampoo and hair care products (the woman uses special products for sensitive hair) in the bathroom, the husband once more gave up and asked his wife to keep her shampoo in the closet in their bedroom.
Well, Nelly agreed again - but one day she forgot her shampoos in the bathroom, and Megan simply threw them all in the trash. When the woman found out about this, she couldn't hold back her indignation, and the teen simply gave the classic "I told you so!" attitude.
If you think that this time the original poster really intervened in earnest, then you are wrong again. Another attempt to 'let it slide' ended with Nelly leaving in tears to her parents' place, and the satisfied Megan, as if nothing had happened, parried all her father's attempts to reproach her. The man himself only now began to think - maybe he did something not that wise here?
Image credits: RichardBH (not the actual photo)
“To be honest, such behavior on the part of a teenage girl seems not only outrageous, but also disrespectful, both towards her new stepmom and her own dad and the choice he made,” says Irina Matveeva, a psychologist and certified NLP specialist, whom Bored Panda asked for a comment on this case. “Of course, adolescence is a very difficult period for parenting, and besides, we don't know exactly what the circumstances were in which this man was left alone. But such behavior is still completely unacceptable.”
"But the biggest mistake, it seems to me, is the father who is letting his daughter behave so inappropriately towards his wife. Perhaps the man believes that 16 years is too old for 'parenting' - but in any case, clear boundaries should be set here. If, of course, he wants his new marriage to be happy and long-lasting," Irina summarizes.
And guess what? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such unanimous condemnation of the original poster from commenters as in this particular case! Almost all the people in the comments wrote that the author acted completely incompetently - from the very first moment when he saw that his daughter and his wife don't get along. And that the current situation is only the natural result of that. "You've done nothing as a dad and husband to help create a happy home," someone in the comments claimed 100% reasonably.
Moreover, many commenters sincerely believe that by allowing his teen daughter to behave in this way, the author is only harming himself and his own family. "Congrats on the soon to be divorce. Also for allowing your 16 Y.O. to control your life," another commenter aptly added. And what would you, our dear readers, do if you found yourself in a similar situation?
People in the comments heavily bashed both the guy and his daughter, claiming that it's just a matter of time until he becomes a divorcee
