Dad Refuses To Let His Stepson Come Home After He Destroyed His Stepsister's Entire Book Collection

Some family conflicts start small, then spiral fast, especially when a child’s favorite things are involved. In this Reddit story, a dad is dealing with a stepson who has a habit of pushing boundaries, and this time the fallout is much bigger than a typical argument.

OP says his 12-year-old daughter, Susan, built a deep love for reading after struggling in school, and her book collection became something she truly treasured. But his 16-year-old stepson, Levi, has a history of acting out, teasing Susan, and getting away with it by running to his biological father whenever consequences come up.

Then Levi crossed a line that left the whole household reeling, and OP decided enough was enough. Read on.

One day, OP received a call from his daughter while he was at work.

Susan said Levi took her entire book collection and threw it in the pool after she refused to lend him her camera for his trip. OP's wife helped Susan fish her books out of the pool, but the books were already ruined.

The problem is that some of those books are hard to find, not to mention how special they are to Susan. Now, because of Levi, the books are wet, and some have been torn.

OP was furious and decided to leave work early to talk to his wife about Levi's punishment. When he got home, Levi was already gone; he immediately called his dad after Susan told him OP was on his way home to deal with him.

Upon hearing this, OP went to the dad's home and demanded to talk to Levi. His father refused to let OP see Levi.

OP said Levi should stop hiding from the consequences of his actions, but his dad told OP that Levi is just acting out because of the way OP and Susan treated him.

Levi's dad even said that what happened was just Levi's way of reacting to Susan being mean to him. Additionally, OP is not Levi's biological father, and he will call Child Protective Services if OP tries to punish him.

The dad told OP to leave, as Levi will not be coming home unless OP puts it in writing that he will not punish Levi for what he did. OP refused to back down and said Levi cannot come home unless he receives the appropriate punishment.

OP talked to his wife about the situation, and she said OP should let this go and find a way to resolve it. He thinks it's unfair that Susan's books are all ruined while Levi gets away with it.

His in-laws also think OP was out of line for refusing to let Levi come home. However, OP believes that if he lets this slide, it will only encourage Levi to misbehave in the future.

throw4privacy5

You can read OP's whole account of the events below:

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OP added an edit later on to share that this was not the first time he had a problem with Levi's dad for shielding Levi from punishment:

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Susan deserves a real apology from Levi and further protection from him.

Mera1506

This also echoes an OP weighing whether to stop supporting an irresponsible brother after repeated damage.

Mera1506

Levi should know by now that this is not how you treat people. He is almost an adult who doesn't respect boundaries.

FreeFortuna FreeFortuna

If you involve some monetary compensation, maybe the biological dad will stop siding with his destructive son?

boscabruiscear

You can't really sue Levi as he is a minor.

sraydenk

Levi needs more than a stern talking-to.

bluebird2019xx

OP's wife, Levi's mom, is not helping the situation at all. She is refusing to address her son's behavior, which further enables him.

bluebird2019xx bluebird2019xx

OP's daughter comes first; he shouldn't let Levi get away with this to show her that.

that-bro-joshy

Let's not forget that Susan is the victim here; Levi is not the one in sore need of compassion.

Horror_Jellyfish1233

Good on OP for standing his ground.

throw4privacy5

The dad wants to act all macho, but he's not doing Levi any favors by not parenting him.

wet_nib811

You simply cannot let this go. If someone mistreats you and crosses your boundaries, you don't lie down and take it, do you?

throw4privacy5

This is a hill to die on. Susan's security should come first.

RedditUser123234 RedditUser123234

Levi needs therapy, stat.

StreamAngler

This may be crossing the line.

oldcreaker

After reading responses, they amended their initial suggestion of selling Levi's things without his consent.

oldcreaker

"You don't teach respect by acting disrespectfully."

mmmeeeeeeeeehhhhhhh

Raising children is a tough job for any parent. What may work for one family will not be applicable for another, but some lessons remain true.

Kids need to be taught boundaries that they will carry into their adult lives. We do them a disservice by letting them behave however they want.

What Levi did is wrong and awful on so many levels. His parents need to teach him as early as now that this is not the right way to treat people, and if he does, he better be ready to face the consequences.

If Levi's dad changes his tune and allows him to go to therapy, as OP suggested, he will be better for it. We fervently hope that Susan is fine after all of this and continues her love for reading.

Want more boundary drama, like refusing to dog sit after a pet wrecks furniture? See this AITA.