Blended families might be viewed as a complete and utter catastrophe or as a lovely, harmonious family unit made up of individuals connected solely by choice. But having honest conversations is essential to creating a cohesive blended family. An irritated stepmother tells her experience below. The original poster (OP) and her husband have been together for over a decade. Her partner's prior relationship resulted in a child. At the request of the little girl's biological mother, OP declined to a…

Some items are so sentimental that they just cannot be valued in monetary terms. But would you count your parents' home among them? The story tells the tale of a dissatisfied sister who doesn't know what to do. The Original Poster (OP) recently lost her parents. Her siblings were to get a sizable sum of money from the will, and she was to get the house. Everyone was happy at first, but when her siblings' money ran out, they began to get curious about her wealth. Consequently, OP chose to sell t…

Parents go above and beyond to ensure that their child has a fulfilling life. However, some parents find it difficult to put aside their problems in order to fully prioritize the physical and mental well-being of their children. So, how would you react if your parents assumed you had forgiven them after years of neglect? Would you seize the chance to cut short meaningless discussions, or would you confront them about their sly attempt to make amends? The story that follows is an account of a he…

In life, friends come and go, but your family is forever. So, how would you respond if your own brothers no longer considered you to be family? Would you give up and admit defeat, or would you persist in attempting to make amends? The story that follows is an account of a frustrated sister. The Original Poster (OP) recalls the moment she realized her siblings had never seen her as a member of the family. OP, the youngest of her siblings, has always held her three older brothers in high regard.…

Family should come first at all times. But what would you do if your sister decided to design your wedding gown? In other words, the dress that you have been dreaming of since you were a little girl will now be in the hands of an aspiring seamstress… The story below is an account of a frustrated bride. The Original Poster (OP) tells the story of how her step-sister asked to design her wedding gown. OP was first hesitant to agree because the sister is by no means a trained wedding dress designer…

She needed to learn a lesson.

That household humor.

Should he do more?

Women are supposed to have it all—a prosperous career, a family, a gorgeous home, and everything in between. In the story that follows, a successful manager of cyber security engineering, mother of one, prepares to become a mother again in the near future. OP is a woman who appears to have everything: a wonderful spouse, a successful career, a stunning child, plus a baby on the way. For OP, all seems to be going as planned, theoretically speaking. However, now that she is expecting her second c…

Stepping in and taking on the role of stepmother could result in two distinct results. A happy blended family with strong bonds amongst all of the members would be the ideal result. On the opposite end, the second scenario can entail a disagreement about the appropriate level of parental authority between the biological parent and the stepparent. The story that follows is that of a frustrated wife who had, up until this point, happily welcomed her husband's daughter into her home. Since getting…

There are many different ways to make a living. There are various fields one might explore while seeking a quick fix or a career. Having said that, what would happen if someone's whole financial strategy consisted of taking advantage of others? The story below tells the tale of a frustrated young lady who refuses to see gold-digging as commonplace conduct. To put things in perspective, OP comes from a middle-class household, but her cousin—who we will refer to as Rachel for the purposes of this…

Marriage is difficult. Marriage is the one thing in life that gets considerably harder as one gets older as opposed to easier. The story that follows tells the tale of a husband who finally, after years of marriage, has had enough. OP and his wife have three beautiful kids together. OP was the breadwinner and his wife looked after the kids, so their lives were quite peaceful. However, everything changed when their youngest moved out to start his own independent adult life. The once tranquil hou…

Not all fairy tales end happily. To be quite honest, the original endings of most of our beloved and well-known fairytales were melancholic and tragic because the defenseless princess lost and the evil mother won. This is not a fairytale, but it is an account of a disappointed daughter-in-law. OP and her husband had an impromptu wedding after finding out they were expecting twins. They were thrilled to become parents and welcome their kids into the world, even though the twins were unexpected a…

A romantic blast from the past.

For those surviving the parenting storm.

We're grinning like cheshire cats.