Mom Backed for Giving Stepdaughter 'Best' Bedroom Amidst Raging Family Feud

Internet commenters backed up one mother who refuses to accommodate her 11-year-old daughter's request for a fully-equipped, suite-style bedroom.

In a viral Reddit post published on the popular r/AmITheA**hole forum, Redditor u/throwaway65637 (otherwise referred to as the original poster, or OP) described the tension gripping her blended family and said her 16-year-old stepdaughter will receive her own suite, despite accusations of favoritism from other family members.

Titled, "[Am I the a**hole] for giving my step daughter the best room out of all our kids?" the post has received nearly 7,000 upvotes and 2,500 comments in the last day.

"My husband [and] I are moving into our dream house," OP began. "We have 4 children. My step daughter Ella (16), our daughter Jane (11), our son Sam (9) & our daughter Luna (6)."

Continuing to explain that the family's new home comes with six bedrooms, OP said her stepdaughter is moving into a suite, while the identical suite will be turned into a living space for guests.

OP also said that her 11-year-old daughter will move into a "normal" bedroom, with her own adjacent bathroom.

Unfortunately, adjacent is not the same as all-inclusive.

"Jane was under the impression that she and Ella would be getting the 2 rooms with the bathrooms," OP wrote. "We let her know one of those would be [a] guest room and since Ella is the oldest she deserves the other.

"Jane thinks this is unfair," OP continued. "[She] has not been handling this well and a few family members she's spoken to think I'm putting 'someone else's child over my own.'

"Jane has struggled with some jealousy...[and she] is also 11," OP added. "She does not need an en suite bathroom more than adult guests...and will have an en suite at 13...once Ella leaves for school."

Blended families, in which at least one parent is accompanied by a child from a previous relationship, are prevalent across the United States.

Last year, data published by Smart Stepfamilies revealed that 40 percent of married couples with children are step-couples.

Data published by Pew Research Center also revealed that of the 73 million children in the U.S., 16 percent are living in blended families, a figure that has remained stable since the 1990s.

But even with roughly 12 million children living with a stepparent, stepsiblings or both, the transition from nuclear family, or single parent household to blended family is not always smooth.

And according to lifestyle website Love to Know, a major contributor to tension among blended families is territorial infringement.

"Children in blended families may have difficulties with one another's turf," licensed clinical psychologist and Love to Know contributor Mona Bapat, Ph.D., said. "If one half of the new family moves into the home of the other half, expect considerable amounts of fights and tears.

"The children whose home it was originally may feel threatened by others taking over parts of their space," Bapat continues. "The children moving into the home may not be happy either because they may feel like the place is not 'theirs' and they are not welcome."

On multiple occasions, however, OP dispelled the notion that her daughter's reaction to not receiving her own suite at 11 years old was the result of a territorial dispute.

Instead, OP placed blame on the plight of younger siblings all around the world, gaining support from Redditors throughout the viral post's comment section in the process.

"I'm absolutely mind boggled by the number of people upset that the OLDEST child gets a better room," Redditor u/Cynthia_Castillo677 exclaimed in the post's top comment, which has received more than 19,000 upvotes. "That's the way my family, and every family's home I've ever visited sets things up.

"Then when the oldest kid leaves, the next oldest gets the room," they continued. "That is perfectly fair and it's disgusting the number of people who are saying the [16-year-old] doesn't deserve the big room because she's not related to OP by blood."

"Jane is 11, she doesn't need her own room with a bathroom attached," Redditor u/rationalitypeaked12 chimed in, receiving more than 2,000 upvotes. "When she's 13...she'll have the room she wants. It's not a big deal for her to wait."

Redditor u/bunnyball88, whose comment has received more than 7,000 upvotes, offered a similar perspective.

"At some point kids have to realize that having enough doesn't mean getting everything," they wrote. "Jane has her own room and her own bathroom...that's far more than 'enough.'

"It's your house. If you want to teach your kids that, yes, guests get a certain amount of generosity - that's your call," they added. "You are entitled to...prioritization...and not give in to foot-stomping."

Newsweek reached out to u/throwaway65637 for comment.