Blended households can have difficulty treating all children equally. This was the situation for Madison’s family when her husband asked her daughter to forego a family trip so that his son’s girlfriend could travel instead. When they returned, the situation intensified, causing Madison to seek our counsel.
This is Madison’s letter:
“My 16-year-old stepson wants to invite his new girlfriend on our trip to Spain. My husband agreed but said he can’t afford more than four tickets, so we have to leave my 18-year-old daughter at home.
I was furious and blamed him for choosing a stranger over his own stepdaughter whom he’d been raising since she was seven.