I thought being the strict mom was simply the price of raising my daughters right. Then my ex’s wife turned it into a competition – and I found a way to make it very real.
I was 38, divorced, and used to being the parent who said no.
My daughters weren’t always happy about it.
After my divorce, our daughters, Abby and Lily, spent most weekends at their dad Emmett’s house with his new wife, Angela.
At first, I liked Angela.
She was younger, energetic, and genuinely excited to see the girls. She also ran a lifestyle blog where she increasingly posted about being a “bonus mom.”
I didn’t care.
Until being the fun bonus mom required turning me into the villain.
At my house,
At Angela’s?
Anything went.
***
One Sunday, Abby walked in carrying a half-empty bag of candy.
“Dinner?” I asked.
She grinned. “Part of it.”
“What was the other part?”
“Ice cream.”
“What? Angela says weekends are different.”
“Your stomach doesn’t know it’s Saturday.”
She rolled her eyes. “This is why her house is more fun.”
Angela posted pictures of them eating ice cream at ten at night:
Caption: Sometimes kids need memories more than schedules.
The girls loved it.
A few months earlier, Abby had wanted to go out with friends before finishing a major school project.
“No,” I’d told her. “Finish it first.”
“Everyone’s already there!”
She’d stared at me with pure teenage fury. “I hate you! Dad and Angela actually let me live!”
I’d managed to wait until she went upstairs before locking myself in the bathroom.
What happened next changed everything… FULL STORY on the next page.
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