I Charged My Stepkids for Water Bills — I’m Not Running a Free Resort

This stepmom wanted a quiet summer. What did she get? A backyard disaster she’ll never forget. With her husband out of work, they asked his ex to keep things simple while the kids stayed over. Instead, she dropped off a giant pool. The stepmom set it up to keep the peace. But the next morning, one look at the yard left her speechless. What the stepkids did will make your jaw drop.

Our reader met her husband, during his divorce, which made his then-wife dislike her, blaming her for the breakup.

I’m 30, married, and this summer has been hell. My husband has two kids from his first marriage, 6 and 10. His ex decided out of nowhere that they’d be staying with us the whole summer. No heads-up. Just dropped them off. The thing is, my husband recently lost his job, so money’s tight.

We told her we could take the kids, but she needed to cover food and keep things simple. She said okay, no problem. Then she showed up with this massive inflatable pool. Not even a small one, I’m talking waterpark-level ridiculous. The kids were excited, and I didn’t want to be the bad guy, so I set it up.

Ex-wife decided to turn kids against their stepmom, making our reader’s life a living hell.

I’ve been married to my husband for almost two years. We met while he was still in the middle of his divorce. It was messy. His ex never liked me and blames me for their breakup. I’m pretty sure she’s passed that opinion down to the kids.

From the moment they arrived, it was chaos. Nonstop screaming, food thrown across the kitchen, and doors slammed. They brought in a random stray cat, knowing I’m allergic. Smashed my favorite vases. They didn’t listen to a single thing I said. I tried to keep my cool, thinking maybe they just needed time. But they weren’t just acting out; they were pushing every button on purpose.

Then came the pool incident. The next morning, I walked into the yard and nearly passed out. The pool was slashed, completely deflated, water everywhere. The basement windows were soaked, the whole lawn flooded. At first I thought it might’ve just popped... Until I found the scissors. Just sitting there.

At that moment, our reader decided it was time to stand up for herself.

A little later, I overheard the older one whispering to the younger one about how “the plan worked” and how their mom would be happy. That was it. I completely lost it.

I told them they were paying for everything. I’m not running a free resort. The bills, the cleanup, all of it. And I said they’re not leaving until they’ve at least owned up to what they did.

The ex-wife stormed off with the kids, leaving our reader questioning if healthy relationships are possible.

Their mom came flying over, yelling like I was the devil. Everyone’s acting like I’m the one out of line. But I’m done being the doormat. I’m not trying to be the evil stepmom, but I won’t just let two kids destroy my home because their mom has a grudge.

I’ve tried being patient. I’ve tried being kind. I’m exhausted. And honestly, I’m not sure how much more of this I can take. Maybe you can give me advice, please.

My 12-year-old stepson is glued to his phone. His room looks like a dump, and he snaps or gets rude over the smallest requests. So I took away his gadgets, and I’m not a maid.

He slammed the door. Hours later, I found something that stopped me cold... Click here to read the full story!