My Stepdaughters Wanted Me To Dress As Meredith Blake For Halloween — Now Their Mom Says I’m Crossing The Line

A 35-year-old woman shared a story that’s got the internet split — all over a Halloween costume inspired by The Parent Trap. She’s the stepmother to two ten-year-old twin girls, and she says they’re her world.

The Redditor has been in their lives for seven years now, married to their dad for five, and she loves every minute of having them around. Whenever the twins stay over, they laugh, play games, and have a running list of inside jokes that could fill a sitcom script.

Recently, the girls got curious about what kind of movies their stepmom loved when she was their age. So, one cozy weekend, she pulled out a few childhood classics — The Parent Trap topping the list.

It quickly became their favorite of the bunch, mostly because they loved seeing twin sisters on-screen like them. But the real kicker? They thought their stepmom looked just like Meredith Blake — the glamorous, cunning fiancée from the movie.

At first, she brushed it off, joking that there was no way she could compare to Elaine Hendrix’s iconic beauty. But the girls wouldn’t let it go, teasing her lovingly and begging her to “do the Meredith voice.”

Pretty soon, it became their family bit. The stepmom would slip into character, dramatically sipping imaginary Evian water while the twins collapsed into giggles, and their dad played the clueless Nick Parker.

Fast forward to this Halloween — a big deal in their blended family because the parents take turns having the twins for each holiday. Whoever has them gets to pick the costumes, and this year, it was Dad and Stepmom’s turn.

So, when the girls asked if they could all do a group costume, their stepmom was touched. She told them she’d love to — and asked what they had in mind.

The OP probably should’ve guessed it before they said it. The twins wanted to be Annie and Hallie from The Parent Trap, and they wanted her to be Meredith Blake.

She thought it was adorable — a fun, harmless nod to their favorite movie together. Her husband found it hilarious too, even volunteering to go as Nick Parker, the confused dad caught between them all.

Everything was going smoothly until she got the call. The twins’ mother had apparently heard about the costume plans — and she was not on board.

At first, the stepmom assumed it was because of Meredith’s “villain” reputation. She tried to reassure her that it was just a silly inside joke and that no one was making fun of anyone — they were just having fun as a family.

But that wasn’t the issue. The girls’ mom said she didn’t think it was appropriate for her ex’s wife to do a “group costume” with her daughters at all.

The comment caught the stepmom completely off guard. According to her, their mother accused her of being lazy, claiming there was “no way” the girls would’ve chosen an old movie like The Parent Trap unless she pushed it on them.

That accusation stung. She says she’s always respected the girls’ mother, even when things between her and her husband’s ex got tense.

Her husband, however, wasn’t as patient. When he noticed his wife getting upset, he took the phone — and things got heated fast.

He reminded his ex that he was in charge of the Halloween costumes this year and that the idea had come directly from the girls. He told her she could disapprove all she wanted, but there was nothing inappropriate about the theme.

The call ended abruptly, and the mood in the house was crushed. What was supposed to be a sweet, silly costume idea suddenly turned into another chapter in the co-parenting drama.

Now the stepmom is torn. She adores the twins and doesn’t want to upset anyone — but she also doesn’t want to break the girls’ hearts by backing out of their special idea.

The OP is worried that if she goes ahead with the costume, it’ll just add fuel to the fire. But if she drops out, it might make the twins feel like they did something wrong — and that’s the last thing she wants.

Online, people are rallying behind her, saying she sounds like a loving stepmom just trying to make her stepdaughters happy. Others argue that in blended families, even harmless things can be misunderstood, and it might be best to take the high road.

Either way, it’s safe to say The Parent Trap hit a little too close to home this Halloween. And somewhere, Elaine Hendrix is probably sipping her champagne, saying, “So, you think I’m the villain?”

The twins wanted to be Annie and Hallie from The Parent Trap, and they wanted her to be Meredith Blake.

AI-generated image

Here's the original post by Reddit user 'LisaoftheRoses'.

I (35F) am the Stepmother to two lovely ten year old twin girls who I adore. I have been married to their father (38M) for five years and we dated for two years before that. I consider myself very close to them and we always have fun whenever they stay with me and their father.They recently asked what kinds of movies I watched when I was their age so it led to me digging out some old classics most notedly the Parent Trap. Of all the older movies I showed them this one was their favourite I think they got a kick out of seeing a movie about twins. They even delighted in the fact that in their opinion I look like Meredith Blake (it's the hair I think no way am I as gorgeous as Elaine Hendrix). It has become an inside joke of us with me often putting on her voice and acting the part while they fall into hysterical giggles. My husband has even gotten into it and playing the clueless Nick when we get into this playful spirit.The girls are staying with us for Halloween, they alternate who has them on holidays and whoever has them for Halloween is in charge of the costume. The girls asked if I would do a group costume with them I was touched and told them of course, and asked them what they wanted to do. I should have seen it coming, they wanted to do the Parent Trap, with them as the girls and me as Meredith. I found it harmless and agreed. My husband found it funny and said he'd even dress as Nick then.I got a call from their Mother today telling me she'd heard of the costume and she didn't approve that she felt it wasn't appropriate. I at first was touched and assumed she worried about their stepmother being portrayed as a wicked gold digger and told her it was fine it was just an inside joke that had occurred that sparked this. That wasn't the issue, she didn't think it was appropriate for me to do a group costume with her daughters at all and that it was clearly lazy and I was forcing it as why else would her daughters want to do a costume from an old movie?I got rather upset here but tried to stay calm on the phone and I told her she might not approve but it was harmless and i'd been in the girls life for 7 tears at this point. My husband who was in the room during the call could see I was getting upset so took the phone off of me and began to get into it with his ex-wife. Telling her that she could have all the issues she wanted but it was an entirely proper costume for their age and it had been the girls who suggested it. Reminding her it was up to him what they dressed as this year and he'd approved of it. I got him to calm down as he was getting upset and the call ended rather tersely.I just feel awful about this whole thing and I wonder if I should just bow out of matching the girls in costume if it will prevent further problems. I just know this will be a bigger thing down the line.

Here's how the Reddit community reacted.

Reddit u/ThisWillAgeWell

Okay, but what do you consider old?

Reddit u/cherrycoloured

So, The Parent Trap is old now?

Reddit u/Dittoheadforever

She's just upset that you're close with the girls.

Reddit u/Fearless_Spring5611

You're not "only" their stepmom!

Reddit u/bindobud

Be careful with this.

Reddit u/Junior_Wrap_2896

It's up to the parents.

Reddit u/Pleasant_Birthday_77

There's more going on here.

Reddit u/Old_Fart_on_pogie

No one will recognize it anyway.

Reddit u/SoImaRedditUserNow

It wasn't your idea.

Reddit u/Marzipan_civil

ESH.

Reddit u/OkSecretary1231

This isn't your fight.

Reddit u/HazelTheRah

Let her explain it to the kids.

Reddit u/Ashamed-Donut5244

It's for the whole family, not just you and them.

Reddit u/GenitalFurbies

In the end, she’s just a stepmom trying to make Halloween magical — not start a family feud. Whether she wears the Meredith Blake costume or not, one thing’s clear: parenting might be the trickiest role of all.