Woman Left Heartbroken By Stepdaughter's Hurtful Comment About Sick Daughter's Appearance

" I ended up leaving with Addy for the night to cool things off."

Damjan

• Published in Interesting
• December 6, 2023

Dealing with a family that's joined together from past relationships can be tricky. There's this story on Reddit about a woman who's facing a tough situation in her blended family.

She's 41 and her husband is 42. They both have daughters from before they met: her daughter Addy is 15, and his daughter Bri is 13.

Normally, Addy and Bri get along okay. But Bri sometimes acts judgmental, a trait she seems to have learned from her mom.

The family has Bri staying with them every other week. Recently, Addy got sick with leukemia, and the chemotherapy has been super hard on her.

A new chemo treatment made her belly swell up, which is tough for a teenage girl. When Bri saw Addy looking like this, she bluntly asked her why she looked pregnant.

This upset Addy and made her cry. OP and her husband tried to explain why Addy looked that way and asked Bri to say sorry. But Bri wouldn't apologize, saying that she was just stating the truth.

This upset OP so much that she told her husband that Bri shouldn't stay with them if she's going to be mean to Addy. Her husband thought this was unfair because he only sees Bri every two weeks.

He admitted Bri was wrong but thought she didn't fully understand why her comment was hurtful. To cool off, OP took Addy and left for the night. She's now wondering if she did the right thing.

OP has been married for 4 years, and they both have daughters from previous relationships: OP's daughter Addy, who is 15, and her partner's daughter Bri, who is 13, they get along well.

Addy, 15, battling Leukemia, faced a hurtful comment from her stepsister Bri about her appearance, and Bri refused to apologize, claiming she was speaking the truth.

OP left with Addy for the night because her husband didn't want Bri to leave, even though she was treating Addy poorly.

Both places are her home; she's not just a guest. Treating her otherwise is wrong.

Teenagers can be rude and she should be disciplined but not removed from her own home

She should be punished, but OP can't kick a child out of her home over a comment she didn't like.

It deserves consequences, but banishing her from home is too harsh. Finding a more balanced approach is essential.

Bri needs guidance, forcing her out of her home is not the solution.

Everyone is at fault here except for Addy.

OP should have a conversation with her about her behavior and establish house rules.

The dad needs to have a serious conversation with her, especially since she refused to apologize.

If OP doesn't want her to behave like her mom, she shouldn't send her back there.

Telling Bri to leave the house because of this situation is too extreme. Understandable that OP is upset by what Bri said and annoyed that she won't say sorry, but she should remember that Bri is just a kid who might not realize how bad her words were.

A better way to handle this would be for the OP and her husband to talk to Bri seriously but kindly. They should help her understand why what she said hurt Addy and explain why it was wrong.

They should also encourage Bri to say sorry. Blended families can be tricky, and it's important to talk things out and be patient when conflicts happen.

By teaching Bri about the impact of her words and getting her to apologize, the family can become closer and better at understanding each other's feelings.

Damjan