Woman Taking Her Kids to Dinner but Leaving Stepdaughter at Home Blasted
A woman has been dubbed "an evil stepmother" on Reddit, after leaving her partner's 10-year-old daughter home alone without food—while treating her own children to dinner and mini golf.
The story was recently shared to the Am I the A******? (AITA) subreddit by the woman's husband-to-be, user u/picklejuice4044.
In his post, picklejuice4044 explained he'd been with his fiancée for four years. He has a 10-year-old daughter, while his fiancée is mother to two teenage girls aged 12 and 15.
The fiancée has shared custody of her children, but picklejuice4044 calls it an "odd arrangement." The girls live with their mother from January to June, but stay with their father for the remainder of the year.
In September, his fiancée moved into his home. Until then, the couple seemingly had no problems with childcare.
"Our first issue was back in November as we discussed bedroom arrangements," he wrote.
"She felt her eldest should have a room of her own while living here 6 months out of the year. That would cause Charlie to bunk with her youngest.
"I however did not allow it because that would encroach on Charlie and likely cause her to feel alienated in her own home."
Since turning down her request, picklejuice4044's believes his fiancée has been taking her frustration out on Charlie. He returned home from a 12-hour weekend shift to find his daughter upset. He discovered that his fiancée had taken her children out to dinner, but left Charlie home alone.
"[Charlie] said when they came back, she was handed a bag of takeout and the food was stone cold," he said.
"I asked my fiancée to elaborate, to which she confirmed taking only her girls out to an early dinner then took them to play mini golf. Hence why the food was cold, it sat in the car as they played."
Picklejuice4044 was angry about Charlie's exclusion, but his fiancée "kept deflecting to the food."
"[She said] she didn't expect her to eat it cold, she could have warned it up herself," he continued.
"I kept insisting it was extremely rude to exclude Charlie from the outing. She came back with...'But I brought her food home.'
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A stock photo of a distressed child holding her hands over her ears while her mom and dad argue in the background. Kittikorn/iStock/Getty Images Plus
"She then asked, 'Why is it ok for you to go out with just Charlie?' That's different, in the last 30 days her kids have been here, Charlie and I have only gone grocery shopping or on one occasion took her cat to the vet.
"That can't even be compared to what she did."
The pair couldn't come to a mutual understanding. The following Friday, his fiancée took her daughters to the dentist, making a "snarky comment" on the way out.
"[She said] 'I hope this doesn't offend Charlie too,'" he wrote.
"It p***** me off she said that, I called her feral."
The couple later apologized to one another, but the truce didn't last long.
"She said it was so rude of me to argue about her taking her kids out," he added.
"She further said, 'I don't see my kids for 6 months, excuse the hell out of me for wanting to spend time alone with them.
"I understood her point, but I felt like we could periodically plan separate outings on the same day so no one feels excluded."
His fiancée then "threw the bedroom ordeal in [his] face," telling him: "My kids might feel alienated from their own mother if they can't enjoy time alone with me."
"She made the pointless remark that her kids have no problem with her doing things with Charlie while they're living with their father," he said.
"She further argued that there will be many times when Charlie will be excluded because of the age gap between her and the eldest.
"I told her if she expects things to work out, she would need to treat Charlie as one of her daughters. She said I was entirely missing her point because I don't know what it's like having shared custody."
Reddit users urged picklejuice4044 to "rehome" his fiancée, with the post receiving over 7,500 upvotes and 3,500 comments.
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A stock photo of a girl looking out of a window at the rain. The poster returned home from work to find his 10-year-old daughter upset. Train_Arrival/iStock/Getty Images Plus
'Using a Child as a Pawn Is Never Acceptable'
Although bringing two families together can be a challenge, Kendra Capalbo—a couples therapist and the founder of Esclusiva Couples Retreats and Concierge Couples Counseling—said it's a parent's responsibility to protect their child, even if it means re-evaluating their romantic relationship.
"It's completely understandable that parents want time alone with their biological children, but it should always be done in a way that makes each of the children feel special rather than excluded," she told Newsweek.
"If done in this way, the children may feel grateful to spend time with their parent without the stepparent present, as opposed to just feeling excluded as in this case."
Capalbo said using your child or your partner's child as a "pawn" is never acceptable, and can damage relationships irrevocably.
"If a couple is unable to agree on step/blended family issues, I think it is important to seek the help of a licensed therapist who has specialized training working with couples," she said.
"There are times when each partner may need to lean towards the other in a way that may feel uncomfortable so it is a matter of really communicating about what is most important to each partner and the reasons why."
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A stock photo of an angry woman yelling at her husband who has his head in his hands. Reddit users warned the poster that the situation would "only get worse." Liubomyr Vorona/iStock/Getty Images Plus
'It Would Only Get Worse'
Redditors were disgusted by the fiancée's treatment of Charlie, with TieTop5301 calling her a "bully."
"Dude she's showing you how she treats your kid when you aren't around. Your kid is less-than in her eyes," agreed Creative_Tart7794.
"She left a child at home alone knowing you were working a 12 hour shift? And then brought her cold takeout? That's just plain mean. Are you sure you want this woman in your daughter's life?" asked anniearrow.
"What she did was child neglect! You can't leave a 10 Yr old home alone period!" wrote Apart_Foundation1702. "She's a terrible step mother to your daughter and it would only get worse."
"Right now she's a full-blown evil stepmother, treating her daughters to dinner and an activity while leaving Cinderella home to pass the hours in company of singing mice," agreed Jolly_Tooth_7274.
"She's irresponsible, neglectful and downright cruel, and apparently she doesn't see that. You can't trust this woman to be fair to your daughter," Binbaghan commented.
While Militantignorance simply advised: "Run, and take your daughter with you!"
Newsweek reached out to u/picklejuice4044 for comment. We couldn't verify the details of the case.
If you have a family dilemma, let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
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