Woman stands up for daughter when partner tries to give away her room to his niece

Editor's note: This article was originally published on August 23, 2023. It has since been updated.

Blended families create unique opportunities for members to discover different cultures and lifestyles. While children may find excitement in these settings, parents often worry their kids might suffer and feel neglected. Good Therapy, notes that the challenges of blended families can lead to emotional conflicts for children and that parents must look after their children in such setups to prioritize their comfort. That is exactly what u/143-but-never-again was doing when her daughter was nearly forced to leave her single room. Now, questioning if she went too far, the mom turned to a subreddit for advice on her dilemma.

The mother begins the post by providing context regarding the situation: both she and her partner had children from previous relationships. They recently got married and she moved in with her children into her partner's home. At present, she is pregnant with her now-husband's child. They live in a huge house that allows all children to have their own space and rooms. 

The conflict began when her sister-in-law unexpectedly moved into their home. Her husband made this decision without consulting her, catching her off guard. Moreover, it was not something she expected as her in-laws had a large home, and if her sister-in-law had to move, she expected that would be her preferred place. However, since it was her partner's home, she did not interfere. The situation escalated when her daughter was abruptly told to vacate her room.

The household had four children, two girls and two boys. The girls were told to move in with their brother. The rooms occupied by the girls were distributed among the aunt and her children. Her daughter requested that the niece stay with her so that she did not have to leave the room, but the request was outright denied by the husband. It pushed the woman on edge as she was not only left out of discussions, but also her daughters were feeling neglected. She packed her daughter's belongings, moved her to the couch, and started planning to move out.

As a mother, she refused to tolerate any disrespect towards her daughter or herself. She wanted to make it known to her daughter that her comfort will never be ignored by her mother, no matter what. Her husband thinks that she is pushing things too far. As they have a baby on the way, she wants to be sure that she is not throwing away her relationship for something inconsequential and therefore asked the opinion of others.

The comment section supported her for standing up for her daughter. u/JeepersCreepers74 believes that the father is at fault in the situation, "NTA. As you said, you're a blended family of 6 and he's acting like a family of 1. He's paying more deference to his sister and her kids than his new wife. You are doing the right thing by taking a stand and showing him this will not be tolerated." u/shihtzu_lover23 points out how this is unfair to the father's kids as well, "Not only that: he is paying more deference to his sister and her kids than even his own kids. It's sad when the stepmom who has been in the kids' life for only five years, cares more than the dad. No wonder his previous marriage failed."