Step-mother won’t drive 12 and 13-year-old step-daughters to dance class 50 minutes away, painting her as the villain, she wonders if she’s wrong: ‘Their mom’s negativity changed how they treat me’

Family dynamics are always tough, even in the best of circumstances… 

Parenting teenagers is difficult enough when they’re your own flesh and blood or they’re otherwise your sole charge and are obligated to follow your direction. It gets infinitely more difficult when you have another adult who is influential in your life—especially one of their parents who is undermining you and just generally poisoning the well and encouraging them to be toxic towards you at every possible chance. You’d think people, as grown adults, would be a little more mature, fitting with their age. 

This stepmother thought she had been managing to achieve a good relationship with her two stepdaughters, aged 12 and 13, until their mother’s continuous toxicity poisoned them against her.

Things came to a head when the girls began requesting to attend some new dance classes that were 50 minutes away (each way), and somehow, the stepmother found herself on the hook for making that long journey, which would take a significant part of her day, with her husband agreeing that she’d handle it wout asking her permission.

When she objected, she was treated like a villain, like some sort of archetypical evil stepmother. Wondering whether or not she was wrong, she turned to this online community to share her story and get outsiders’ opinions on the situation. See her account of events below and decide for yourself whether or not she was in the wrong.

Step-mother won’t drive 12 and 13-year-old step-daughters to dance class 50 minutes away, painting her as the villain, she wonders if she’s wrong: ‘Their mom’s negativity changed how they treat me’