Blended families don’t always blend well and that sometimes includes the parents of the divorced and remarried couples.

In today’s story, the husband’s parents clearly seem to dislike his current wife.

The children of the blended family are caught in the middle of a family feud, and the oldest child isn’t sure what he should do.

Let’s see how the story plays out…

AITA for not defending my stepmother when my dad’s family insulted her?

My grandparents hosted a family dinner on Sunday and for a while my dad left because “something came up” at work for him.

My sister (16f) and I (17m) were sitting with our cousins when our stepmother corrected us when we said we had big plans for Halloween and Christmas this year, because we were going to be with our maternal side of the family.

She told us those plans still need to be approved by her because dad said yes without running it by her.

The grandparents spoke up.

This is when my dad’s family stepped in and told her she doesn’t have the right to stop us from spending time with our maternal family.

My stepmother said as our mom she does, and since our maternal family never speaks to her or tries to befriend her she has the right to say they’re not good for us.

Then our grandparents told her she’s not our mom and the more she pretends to be, the less respect she has from anyone.

The grandparents really laid into the stepmother.

Then it became a situation where our grandparents and our aunts and uncles piled on her.

They reminded her that she didn’t give birth to us, we didn’t call her mom.

They accused her of preying on a grieving man who was 11 months out from losing his wife when she swooped in and claimed us as hers.

They rubbed it in her face that neither my sister or I actually value her or love her or want her in our lives.

It became a huge fight between them and my stepmother stormed out.

She tried to make my sister and me leave with her.

But we refused to go with her and we said we were staying with our family.

His dad was mad that he didn’t defend his stepmother.

Dad was mad when he came to pick us up and he asked me if I stepped in to defend my stepmother a woman in our family and I said no.

He asked me why not, and I told him I didn’t want to defend her and didn’t disagree with everything being said.

My stepmother asked why I hadn’t spoken up for her, and I told her because everything they said is true and I would never defend her from anything.

Dad was threatening to not give us the extra time with mom’s family at Christmas, and my sister kinda talked him around on that because she cried to him which made him give in.

insinuated that he doesn’t love his stepmother.

But I got lectured two days this week already about 10 years of being a stepmother deserving more respect and value and being worthy of defending.

My dad told me I’m a few months away from being a man and I need to act more like one and that means defending the women in our lives, but especially the ones we love.

I told him I always defend the people I love when I need to.

This made my stepmother cry.

His dad accused him of being “a bad example.”

It made my dad walk out of the room to calm down because his wife was crying.

Dad told me I’m a bad example to my sister and the only reason she doesn’t adore our stepmother is because she has followed my lead.

He said I should think about my influence and the fact I’m risking a relationship with my stepmother in the future.

I should add I have said similar things to her before and to my dad.

But they don’t really listen.

AITA?

I understand that the dad is on the stepmother’s side because that’s his wife, but he should be mad at his parents.

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story…

The dad and stepmom are crazy.

His comeback to the dad about the stepmom was epic.

Forced love is not a thing.

Thankfully, he’s almost 18.

The stepmother might’ve been trying to pick a fight.

Thank goodness his grandparents are on his side.

But honestly, there was probably no need to say all of that to her.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.