Family dynamics are often complicated, but it gets even more difficult to keep them healthy when stepparents and children are involved. A woman on Reddit shared her troublesome situation with her stepdaughter’s diet and her place in it, and wondered if she was wrong for doing what she did. Read the full story in our article.
My stepdaughter, who is 15 years old, has been living with us every week for the past year and has been difficult when it comes to food. She first became vegan, which I accommodated by preparing meals without animal products. However, she quickly changed to a holistic diet and developed allergies to various foods.
My stepdaughter doesn’t eat lactose and gluten. She insists I keep her food and cookware separately, even throwing out items from the pantry that she believed were causing stomach pain. I told her to eat outside or do her cooking and cleaning herself, which she got angry about. My husband started yelling at me because of it.
After suggesting she seek professional help for her eating issues, it was revealed that she had no allergies. Despite this, she insisted on her beliefs. I reached a breaking point and started adding gluten and lactose to her meals, which she unknowingly consumed without issue. When her mother visited and praised her daughter’s improved health due to her new diet, I calmly pointed out that she had been eating the same food as the rest of us.
When she realized that, this led to a confrontation, resulting in my stepdaughter and her mother leaving. My husband was upset with me because she refused to live with us anymore. I told him that if he wants his daughter to live with him, he can move out. They have since filed a lawsuit, but I stand by my actions. I refuse to cater to the demands of a teenager with mental health issues, and will not apologize or make accommodations for her if she chooses to return.
As a nurse working long hours, I cannot afford the time or energy to comply with the unrealistic expectations of someone with unfounded beliefs about food. Am I wrong?
The absolute majority of users supported the author. Many people were angry with the husband’s reaction, his lack of support for his wife and his inability to meet his own child’s needs.
Her Stepdaughter is manipulative & sneaky. She's right on all counts. If the girl's Mother is indignant then her daughter should live with her going forward, & the same goes for the Dad, or her Dad can cook her meals. Stick to your guns & remain steadfast.
Sounds like an eating disorder to me, if the stepmother is a nurse, she should know better and try to help her stepdaughter work through the fear she has for certain types of food, eating disorders are complex and there are more eating disorders than people realise. I suffer from an eating disorder and I have a fear of certain types of food, it's part of the disorder
Many also agreed there are unresolved mental health issues that girl’s parents should pay more attention to. Some even claimed that they might have mental health issues too.
However, there were also a couple of people who mentioned something that the author shouldn’t have done.
When Emma, as a stepmother, refused to host her stepson’s birthday party at her home, it sparked tensions with the child’s mother. Explore Emma’s complete story here.
While it’s wrong to lie to someone about what you’re feeding them, my 15-year-old can cook his own food and it’s not his stepmom’s job to cater to his wants. A friend growing up was vegetarian (she simply didn’t like meat) so…… she wouldn’t put meat on her plate at dinner time! If this girl wants her own menu, she can learn to cook, this is not a problem for the non-bio parent to solve ESPECIALLY when both parents are in the picture.
