We all try to treat our children equally, but it can be hard in new blended families. Ellie felt this when she and her teen daughter Amy moved into her new husband’s house and found out Amy wouldn’t have her own room. Ellie suggested that her husband’s daughter give up her room, but things went wrong quickly.
This is Ellie’s letter:
I moved into my new husband’s two-bedroom home with my 14-year-old daughter, Amy.
I assumed it would be natural for Amy to take the second bedroom, which belongs to my 15-year-old stepdaughter Caroline. Caroline only stays there on weekends, whereas Amy will be living with us every day.
However, my stepdaughter is refusing to give up her “precious” room. I told my husband, “My kid won’t sleep in the living room every night!” and had Amy move her things into the bedroom that night while Caroline was at her mother’s place.
The next day, I was stunned to find that my husband had locked the bedroom and changed the lock so Amy can’t enter again. I confronted him, but he said, “Your
daughter didn’t even have a proper room in your small apartment. You both slept in the same space. So now, I don’t think she would mind sleeping on the living room couch, it’s actually quite comfy!”
I was furious and insisted that my child deserves a proper bedroom, and she shouldn’t be treated as an inferior in her new house.
I am heartbroken and deeply disappointed. Am I wrong to feel this way?
Yours,
Ellie
