Devil within

I just found out that both my bonus daughters hate me to the bone. My partner and i have been together for 7 years now. But we were a couple for 10 years. He has 2 daughters, age 15 and 13. The eldest is now with her bio-mom for vacation and the youngest chooses to stay with me. The sisters were chatting a lot. Which is a good thing, i thought. One time, I got curious coz it seems serious, coz the youngest keep frowning while chatting. I asked here nicely if she's ok and who's she chatting. She answered "nothing". "You will regret this", i warned my self. Yet I continued. My youngest bonus daughter went out for a walk with her friends. She left her gadget, charging. ... Yes ... that's what i did ... I open their chat box and I discovered that they were talking about me. They were cursing me in chat box while the kid is looking at me and preteding that nothing is wrong. I took care of her for 7 years, she was so sweet and honest. We were so close. Some said that I'm more of a mother to her than her bio mom. That is why i was so shocked. She said to her big sister that i made her head hurts. I keep joining in every conversation which I'm not part of (while the four of us were a having dinner). That they don't ask for my opinion nor needed one, yet i talked a lot. That i didn't give her money for her parcel ( i can't remember she asked me). I complain a lot even though I'm not part of the conversation.  She also said that their father is having a sad moment few days ago and I contribute to it rather than make him feel better. That i always asked them where they're going with whom. I also read her chat box with her bio mom. They were both laughing and cursing me at the same time whenever i made a fool out of myself. Whenever i use high tone on her coz of my migraine. My chest hurts learning about those conversations. I am a college graduate.  I decided to live with my partner few years after i graduate. I worked in different companies. I stopped working coz i always dreamed of being a good housewife like my mom. I wanna take care of my family since my partner can provide for our family. I never asked for anything, just for them to respect me. I never dreamed of replacing their bio-mom (which the kids defined as not acting her age and acts like a childless teenager). But whenever i made a bad decision, i said a wrong word, they run to their bio mom like I'm the worst person in the world. Cursing and laughing at my mistakes. Even though i keep on asking for their forgiveness and explaining why I did that or said that. Sometimes i overheard them mumbling. I joined parenting groups, read books and articles about parenting coz i want to be like my mom. Understanding. Strict but never hated. I believe no ones perfect. But the fact that they respect and talked to their dad nicely, online and offline, and hate me to the bone makes me feel like there's a devil inside me that only the 3 of them can see. That crushed my heart. #bonusmom #stepmom

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Viết phản hồi

Mama, I can feel how much this hurt you, and my heart goes out to you talaga, reading private chats is never the answer, but I understand why you did it, and please don't beat yourself up more than you already are. The thing is, teenagers are brutal and say terrible things to their friends about the people closest to them (I've caught my own kids doing it), so while those words are real, they don't define who you are or how much you've given them over 7 years, that matters more than you think right now. What I'd really suggest is talking to your partner about what you found, maybe even with a family counselor, because this needs healing that's bigger than just you apologizing or them understanding; stepmom dynamics are honestly tricky, and someone trained can help you all find your footing again without the resentment building up like this. You stopped your career, you show up every day, you study how to be better, that's not a devil, mama, that's someone who genuinely cares, even if it doesn't feel that way today.

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