It is so hard being the parent of a special needs child.

Trying to navigate a blended family, including an angry teenager, at the same time must be extremely challenging.

This mom has an autistic kiddo who only has a few safe foods.

My son (6m) is autistic and he is non-verbal with a lot of sensory issues.

He has very restrictive eating and his list of safe foods is very low, which is something being worked on with a feeding therapist, but he’s struggling through feeding therapy and is not yet at a point where he has many options.

In his safe foods are a specific brand of roast potatoes, a type of fruit cups and one type of chicken bites.

Very very rarely he will eat something else so we always do our best to have those safe foods on hand and in good supply.

Money has been tight, so when her stepdaughter asked to eat the rest of one of those foods, she said no.

But the chicken bites have been unavailable for the last three weeks and for the last two weeks we had some money issues after some trouble with our house.

This meant we did not have as much to spend on groceries last week and because of this, I was extra vigilant about making sure the safe foods were secure for my son especially because he doesn’t eat a lot regardless so it’s important he has something available for him.

My stepdaughter (16f) saw the last of the chicken bites and wanted them for herself.

I told her she couldn’t have them because her brother needed them. We were running low on other stuff and I needed everything to keep us going until my husband got paid again

My stepdaughter said she didn’t care and she wanted them and should have them.

I refused to let her have them and offered her something else instead.

She complained that she wanted nothing else and I told her she can eat something else but her brother cannot.

When my husband got home he backed up my decision and my stepdaughter was so pissed.

Her stepdaughter threw a fit and soon got her grandparents in on things, too.

She told my husband’s parents and then they were pissed.

They said I should have let her eat them and encouraged my son to eat something different instead of making her find something else. That she’s old enough to get to choose what she eats.

They also said I made her hate us more (me and her two siblings).

My stepdaughter also told her maternal grandparents (her mom passed away while I was pregnant with my son) and they were furious and said I have no right to stop her and how dare we act like she gives a crap about my kids eating or not eating.

When she tried to talk the girl about it, the girl was downright awful.

My stepdaughter has been especially angry since and I sat her down and apologized if I upset her by saying no and she told me I didn’t have the right to stop her because I’m not her parent and she doesn’t care if my kids starve.

We’re nothing to her. She told my husband’s parents I had tried to talk to her and they rubbed it in more.

My husband was furious with his parents and he’s still on my side. But I feel so worn down by this.

AITA?

What does Reddit think she should do? I’m curious myself!

The top comment says her husband needs to reign in his former in-laws.

This person says the stepdaughter needs some intervention, immediately.

Of course, it’s not about the nuggets.

She needs to stop thinking of herself as the villain.

Apparently common decency isn’t a thing in their family.

This teenager needs a giant wakeup call.

Maybe removing her toxic grandparents would be just the thing.

If you liked that story, read this one about grandparents who set up a college fund for their grandkid because his parents won’t, but then his parents want to use the money to cover sibling’s medical expenses.