Dad Threatens To Kick Stepdaughter Out After She Was Caught Stealing From His Biological Daughter
James Holden A father is debating whether or not to kick his stepdaughter out of his home because of how "disrespectful" she is.
Posting to the subreddit "r/AmItheA--hole" (AITA) — a forum where users try to figure out if they were wrong or not in an argument that has been bothering them — he explained that his 24-year-old stepdaughter lives in his home and doesn't follow any of his rules.
He wants to kick his stepdaughter out after discovering that she stole from his biological daughter.
In his Reddit post, he shared that his wife had passed away from breast cancer a few years ago, leaving him to raise their two daughters, aged 19 and 17. It wasn't until a year and a half ago that he found love again after meeting Vicky.
"Vicky has a daughter, Heather, 24, and together they came to live with us. Vicky and I did not get married, so Heather isn’t technically my stepdaughter," he explained. From the start of living with Heather, he noticed that she wasn't very nice, especially to him.
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Despite trying to get to know her and forming a cordial relationship, nothing that he did seemed to work. He noticed that not only was Heather extremely disrespectful to him, but also to her own mother.
"Heather also picked verbal fights with my daughters, but I squashed that soon after it happened. Heather was the instigator and I told her that if she had a problem, she should direct it at me instead of at my daughters. It seemed to work."
Despite thinking he had managed to curb his stepdaughter's behavior, things took a turn after his eldest daughter, Casey, turned 19.
For her birthday, he had bought her a $500 spa gift card she could use with a friend. Casey ended up choosing her younger sister to go with her, and the two just had to pick a date and reservation.
"Casey wanted to make the reservation two days ago, but couldn’t find the gift card. After hours of searching, we couldn’t find it. When Heather came home we asked if she had seen it. She told us she didn’t," he continued.
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After searching for another hour, Vicky eventually found the gift card in Heather's room. She eventually admitted to having swiped the gift from Casey's room and using it at the spa with her girlfriend.
"I was pissed and told her that if she didn’t pay Casey $500, I would kick her out. Since Heather doesn’t have a job and has dropped out of college, she says she can’t pay [for] it," he added, explaining that Heather has been living with them rent-free with everything being paid for.
Since telling Heather that she needed to leave, both she and Vicky have accused him of being too harsh.
Most people agreed that he has the right to ask his stepdaughter to leave for stealing.
"She just stole $500. That's insane. Tell her to get a job to pay it back or she can deal with it with the police," one Reddit user wrote.
Another user added, "I mean, this is the hill to die on. Your priorities need to be your kids and you are allowing a stressful and hostile living situation. Vicky needs to know, either Heather goes or you can no longer live together."
Related Stories From YourTango:A third user agreed, adding that he should also reconsider his relationship with Vicky. "You should kick her out. She definitely crossed the line by stealing. And sorry to say, but you should dump Vicky too if she doesn't see the severity of Heather's actions."
When two families come together through marriage or other circumstances, it can create a complex dynamic as everyone adjusts to the new family structure. Sometimes, it can often present various challenges and difficulties.
In this instance, though, it seems this father is attempting to make the right decision, while also putting his own children's needs first.
Nia Tipton is a Brooklyn-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.
