"I don't want to visit my father anymore because my stepsister and her mother are too intrusive: am I wrong?"
When two people separate or divorce it is never easy, especially if there are children to be safeguarded and who should not suffer from being away from one of the parents. Often the ex's are good at making sure that this doesn't happen and they manage to maintain, even if tense, a certain family balance. It is too bad then, that in some cases, external factors take over to change the relationship between a parent and a child. An example of this? The arrival of a new partner - or companion - and, perhaps, of stepchildren into the mix.
The teenage subject of this story found herself in a situation like this. She was uncertain about what she had done and wanted to seek the advice of the Reddit community. Let's see what she said and how the readers responded:
via Reddit
The subject of this story is a daughter who experienced a breakdown of the relationship with her father, mainly because of her half-sister, Mandy, and her stepmother. "I see my parents alternately," says the young woman in her post. She continued: "When I'm not with my mother, I go to my father's house and, for some time now, I almost always find his new partner Jane and his daughter there. Once, I overnighted at my dad's place and I found my stepsister in my bed. It made me very angry, but I came back because I was told not to exaggerate - my bed was supposedly big enough for both of us."
This first incident put the teenager on edge and it was followed by others. In subsequent visits to her father's house, the young teenage daughter always found her father's new partner and daughter there. The unacceptable thing was that Mandy wanted everything the daughter had in the home: from the bed to a chair, from books to a blanket (all items that had been given to the young woman by her mother). This invasive behavior finally got to the young woman, and eventually, there was a show-down.
"My father and I, ever since I was very young, used to go fishing on our own. The last time we did this, he saw fit to bring Jane and Mandy along too," wrote the author. She continued: "Well, they did nothing but complain about the cold, the smell of the fish and being bored watching us fish. As a result, we left earlier than expected and my father told me that, sometimes, one has to make compromises." Between one compromise and another, however, the girl gradually got fed up of not being able to spend a few moments alone with her father and she decided to suspend her visits to the home.
Since she decided to visit her father much less now (if at all), his family has tried several times to convince her to come back. But she doesn't want to do this because she no longer feels accepted or respected at her father's house. Reddit users agreed with her and supported her decisions. "You are right in wanting to put limits on Mandy and her mother," says one comment; "Your dad is not doing right by you at all. He doesn't prioritize his relationship with you, and that's wrong" states another comment. She received many similar comments from readers, stating that she had done nothing wrong.
What do you think about this story?
