Dad Makes His Daughter Clean After Christmas Celebration As A Punishment For A Gift She Gave To Her Stepmother

Some family grudges do not stay buried, especially when Christmas gifts are involved. In this story, a dad is trying to balance his teenage daughter, his current wife, and a holiday present that crossed a line.

The daughter has never liked her stepmother, and the stepmother has been unusually forgiving about the teen’s behavior. That leniency seems to have backfired when the girl gave her a gift that was more insulting than festive, and her father responded with a punishment that set off a bigger fight.

Now the whole family is arguing over whether he went too far, or not far enough.

OP asks:

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His current wife had breast cancer. He has a daughter from a previous marriage who doesn't like her very much. However, the new wife always forgave her for her misbehavior.

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His daughter decided to spend Christmas with them and gave her stepmother a present that was...

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That gift was the moment everything shifted.

OP decided to punish his daughter...

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Which she didn't like

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His daughter left angry, and then OP received a call from her mom and his former in-laws. Now he wants to know if he was wrong.

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The comments did not hold back.

Redditors mostly agree: NTA

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It was a vicious move

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And the ex-wife had something to do with it for sure...

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One commenter had a very different take on the family drama.

This is the same kind of home tension as asking a controlling sister to move out after years of drama.

A lawyer shared his experiences...

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and some good advice.

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Redditors also shared their experiences:

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More people jumped in with their own family stories.

Children shouldn't be dragged into this...

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Never.

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Here is a good example of how things should work:

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It is all for the children's sake.

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And about the punishment...

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Not really a punishment...

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Maybe this is more appropriate:

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Because what she did was awful

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OP should've made her explain her reasoning

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This story has some gaps in it. First, why did OP and his ex-wife get a divorce?

Was the current wife the reason? Was he having an affair with her?

These details would provide better insight into this situation. But no matter what the grounds for divorce were, the daughter’s actions were simply awful.

Perhaps the stepmother’s forgiving attitude contributed to the teen’s total unawareness of the lines that shouldn’t be crossed. But then again, she is old enough to know the difference between right and wrong…

Some Redditors suggested that the mother had something to do with the present, and it is not hard to believe. Divorced parents often use their children as weapons in their conflicts.

This is incredibly damaging for children. If this is the case here, we hope they will stop.

The family tension is not going away anytime soon.

For another family fight, see whether an ex-wife should pay more for their daughter’s braces.