Woman Calling Step Mom in Eating Disorder Recovery 'Fat' Slammed Online

A woman who told her "brat" of a step daughter to never speak to her again has found support online.

Sharing her story with Reddit's Am I the A******? (AITA) forum on October 6, user u/HourPie9376 explained that her step daughter has been "bullying" and "insulting" her for the past three years.

However, the step daughter went too far with her comments and the poster snapped, telling her not to talk to her again unless it's an emergency.

Unfortunately, her husband took his daughter's side, telling her she needs to make amends with the step daughter and causing the poster to question her decision.

At the time of writing, the post had received over 6,000 upvotes and nearly 500 comments.

'Demand Respect'

According to the Pew Research Center, non-traditional households have been on the rise since the 1960s. Blended families are common, but come with their own unique challenges.

Shadi Shahvanaz, a psychotherapist specializing in children and family issues, said it's the poster's husband who needs to take a stand.

"The problem is the father in this case," she told Newsweek. "He's not taken any action whatsoever to demand respect for his wife, and if you don't do that, it won't happen.

"I think this young person is feeling traumatized by her mother's death and hasn't been able to accept it, which is work she needs to do on herself, but it's her father's duty to step up.

"Instead of demanding respect, he tells his wife off for putting her foot down and saying enough is enough, which is not the right way to go about [it]."

'You Have Every Right to Set a Boundary'

In her post, u/HourPie9376 explained that her husband "John" was not "Maddy's" biological father. His ex-wife "Ana" was a single mom when they met, and as Maddy's father wasn't in the picture, he decided to adopt her.

Ana passed away six years ago, when Maddy was 14.The poster met John three years ago and the couple got married last year. Maddy, now 20, lives at home with them. Unfortunately, Maddy has disliked the poster from "day one."

"I've never been able to work out why," she wrote.

"I tried to let our relationship develop on her terms since she was nearly an adult when we met, but she was not interested and made it clear she had no desire to know me.

"It seems to me that she simply did not want John to move on but I'm not in her head so I can't be sure."

Their tumultuous relationship has led to a tense home life, with Maddy "finding a way to comment on/insult everything" the poster does. After suffering with an eating disorder during her teenage years, the poster said she has retained some "odd habits," which Maddy has picked up on and uses to torment her.

"Unless I'm eating a meal with another person, I really don't eat traditional meals," she said.

"I prefer a smattering of whatever appeals in the moment. Today, it was cucumber, raspberries, hummus, a meatball, leftover saag aloo and some bread.

"I don't like when food from different 'categories' touch, so I spread it out over 4 small side plates. I also had a hot tea, water and a small juice in 3 different glasses. It might be weird but I'm the one doing the dishes so who cares?"

After noticing the poster's lunch choice, Maddy called her "f****** weird" and said "no wonder you're so fat, look at all these plates." The poster was already having a bad day at work and snapped.

"I kind of lost it and told her that I will never give a s*** about her opinion and unless it was an emergency, maybe she should just not speak to me at all anymore," she said.

"She's not a child, I'm not dealing with an adult treating me like that."

Maddy texted John, who was upset with the poster for yelling at his daughter, leading her to wonder if she went "too far." However, Reddit users agreed that the poster did nothing wrong, with tjdportland calling Maddy a "bully and a brat."

"What she said was rude and she owes you an apology for it," wrote MmeHomeBody.

"She's trying to bully you out of John's life with her comments," said xavil117. "She's an adult, so it's okay to be harsh and tell her to shut up and never talk to you again."

EZCarter040 agreed, commenting: "If your stepdaughter behaves like an immature monster, you have every right to set a boundary."

Teaching Respect

Others believed Maddy's dad was in the wrong for not stepping in sooner.

"If this has continued on for so long, I find it a bit odd that John himself hasn't noticed something?" said EmeraldBlueZen.

"John is not doing Maddy any favors by allowing her bad behaviors," said Huge_Industry_1259.

While netnet1014 commented: "He's raised a bully and has failed to teach her to be respectful towards other people.

"He has some audacity to be upset with you in this scenario for finally putting up some boundaries. Seriously the nerve."

Newsweek has reached out to u/HourPie9376 for comment. We couldn't verify the details of the case.