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Her husband told her to drop it.
By NyRee Ausler — Written on Feb 19, 2023
Blended families are sometimes tough to navigate. Coming into a situation where your mate already has children requires understanding, empathy, and flexibility.
One woman found out the hard way that her husband’s daughter’s happiness came before hers and their new baby. She posted to the subreddit, AITA (Am-I-The-A—hole) to find out if she was in the wrong in the situation.
She's expecting her first baby but wants her stepdaughter to move out to make room.
The Redditor starts by sharing that the issue is not new to her family. The 33-year-old woman is pregnant with her first child and lives in a two-bedroom house with her hubby and his 23-year-old daughter.
She explains that she and her stepdaughter have had no relationship issues thus far and have resided together peacefully.
With their impending arrival, the family needs more space, but cannot afford it financially. Because of this, the woman asked her husband if they could solve the problem by having his daughter move out.
They reasoned that they could use the space for the new baby and that his daughter was an adult who is gainfully employed and can afford to go it alone. Initially, he agreed and they decided to deliver the news to the young lady.
The discussion came up at a recent dinner. The couple told the young adult that she would need to move out, but offered to contribute her first two months of rent to ease the financial burden.
The poster tried to make the move as appealing as possible, touting how exciting the experience of shopping for the new place and decorating would be. She noticed that her stepdaughter just sat there quietly.
She later pulled her father aside to talk to him out of the presence of her stepmother, telling him that despite her job, she could not afford a place on her own.
He flip-flopped and, according to the Redditor, told his little girl, “She did not need to move out so now we are scrambling trying to find space for new baby.”
But the woman was not done with the matter and waiting to broach the subject again when her husband was not home. This time she sweetened the offer, promising to help find a roommate that could contribute to the bills.
According to the expectant mother, “She snapped on me and told me to just leave her alone and locked herself in her room.”
When her husband arrived home from work he was briefed about the incident and told his wife to leave his daughter alone and let it go.
Since then, there has been tension in the air and the Redditor feels stressed about it. She is asking other users to weigh in on who is wrong in the matter.
Readers overwhelmingly think she is the a—hole.
The comment section kicked off with one person posting, “So you and your husband can’t afford another place to live but you expect her to?”
Others immediately piled on. The next person said, “Exactly, I was just about to post that if the two adults can't afford 3 bedrooms, how do they think the young adult probably just starting her career can afford 1?"
With no knowledge of the couple's finances, Redditors went back and forth about whether or not it was feasible to expect the young woman to move out and pay rent on her own. For now, it looks like she’s staying put.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, and author of seven books. She covers lifestyle and entertainment and news, as well as navigating the workplace and social issues.