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A woman refusing to call her soon-to-be stepdaughter by her real name is being criticized online.
Sharing her story on Reddit, Andi (user u/Complex_Eagle5873) explained that her dad's fiancée "Kate" has been calling her by the wrong name for three years.
Tired of her future stepmother's antics, the 16-year-old Reddit user has taken to ignoring Kate until she calls her by the right moniker, leading to a fallout at a family party.
Second marriages involving stepchildren are less likely to last, with over 60 percent ending in divorce. This is according to a 20-year study of divorce and remarriage conducted by the University of Virginia.
Ruth E. Freeman, founder and president at Peace at Home Parenting Solutions, told Newsweek that issues with between stepparents and children are a key reason why second marriages fail.
"One of the hardest things for stepparents have to accept is that their partner created a child with another person, and that child will remain the living, breathing expression of that union," Freeman said.
In her post, Andi wrote she'd been named for her grandfather on her mother's side, who passed away before she was born. His name was Andrew, making the female equivalent Andrea. However, as neither parent liked the name, they decided to call her "Andi" instead. "I love my name I think it fits me," the teen wrote.
Her parents split when Andi was 8 years old. Five years later, her father met Kate. Initially, Kate believed "Andi" was short for "Andrea." She corrected her, but Kate still refuses to use her real name.
Frustrated, she told her mom about the issue, who told her to "ignore Kate until she calls me Andi."
At a gathering with Kate's family, the poster decided to take her mom's advice. Andi ignored Kate every time she called her "Andrea," refusing to respond.
"She got mad and said why am I ignoring her and I said because that's not my name and you know this," Andi wrote.
Kate's brother and father found the exchange hilarious and asked why she kept calling her future stepchild the wrong name.
"Well, Kate later got made calling me a brat for embarrassing her," Andi explained. Reddit users backed the poster in a poll attached to the post.
Freeman said that Kate's refusal to use Andi's real name could be an attempt to "wash away that history and put a mark on the child that she did not birth."
"The good news in this case is that our young teen is pushing back and declaring her right to be respected about her name that she cherishes," Freeman added. "But a father must protect their child while focusing on their new adult relationship."
Reddit users praised the teen for standing her ground, with the post receiving more than 16,000 upvotes.
"The fact that you won't allow her to stomp all over that does not make you a brat," posted CalliopesSong.
"She embarrassed herself and is lashing out on you for it," wrote PeteEckhart.
"She's not even waiting until the title is official going for that evil stepmonster role," commented amagivictoria. Bearmongus asked: "Why is your dad not correcting her?"
"Your dad should be your champion and always stand up for and support you," wrote Sweet_Bang_Tube. "She's awful and your dad is enabling it," agreed Ok-Ebb4485.
ACAB_easy_as_123 asked: "Is there a bigger red flag than not bothering to learn the name of your partners kid?"
Newsweek reached out to u/Complex_Eagle5873 via Reddit for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.
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About the writer
Sophie is a Newsweek Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in Lincoln, UK. Her focus is reporting on film and ... Read more