Sometimes the truth hurts more when it’s something people have been trying not to admit for years.

So, what would you do if your dad asked you to be honest about how you feel toward your stepmom, only to blow up when you told him she’ll never be a real parent to you?

Would you try to backtrack to keep the peace? Or would you stand by what you said, no matter how bad it hurts your stepmom?

In the following story, one teen finds herself in this situation and decides to be honest.

Here’s how that went for her.

AITAH for telling my dad and stepmother I agree with my mom that my stepmother is never going to be mine or my siblings real parent?

My parents are divorced, and it was really bitter.

My dad had issues with alcohol when I (16f) was little, so my mom had primary custody of me and my siblings (all 18+ now). Dad got sober and was able to get 50-50 custody eventually. He married my stepmother when I was 7.

The adults used to fight a lot. It was sometimes kept from us, but we still knew.

My mom sued for primary custody again and lost. My dad sued after my mom did, and he lost, too. We got interviewed twice (two other times) over the custody dispute.

Her mother and father have some pretty deep-seated issues.

There were lots of issues going on. I don’t know them all and don’t know if I’ll ever know.

But I know a big part of it was that my mom didn’t want my stepmother to be in a mom role to me or my siblings.

She used to tell them she wasn’t a real parent, so she had no right to be involved with our school or doctors, and it was Dad’s job to do that stuff.

My dad didn’t like that Mom left him over his drinking, and when Dad thought we were out of the way, he’d vent to his family.

My siblings and I heard.

After an altercation, her father got full custody.

When my stepmother was pregnant, Dad wanted all the old baby stuff from us, and he hated Mom for saying no.

He felt like we should all be able to use the same stuff, and apparently didn’t like Mom’s attitude about his and my stepmother’s kid.

By the way, they have more than one together.

When I was 12, my mom and stepmother had a big fight. It happened in front of us, and Mom said a lot of negative stuff about my stepmother.

My dad sued for custody, and because Mom had sent texts to them with similar negative things, Dad was awarded primary custody.

My siblings and I hated it, and seeing Mom made us happy.

Dad thought we’d all settle into it, but we didn’t.

Then, her stepmother wanted to keep her away from her mother.

My older siblings all chose mom when they turned 18, and they’re LC with my dad and stepmother.

I wanted to move in with Mom, but my stepmother said no. She said Mom wouldn’t poison all of us against her and Dad.

I said nobody would poison me against them if I could be back with my mom.

My dad told me to listen to my stepmother and be happy I have them and my half-siblings.

In therapy, they talked about past issues.

When my feelings stayed the same, my dad decided we needed family therapy. We started going two months ago.

My dad asked if I knew all that my mom had said to my stepmother.

Mom told my stepmother she wasn’t a real parent to us, she would never be our mom, she wasn’t important, and could drop ****, and we wouldn’t notice or care. She called her a ***** and a **** and pathetic and useless and other stuff I can’t remember.

She told her stuff that apparently some of our friends’ parents said about her, and the gossip that was said about her.

I knew all that already. My siblings know about it, too.

Dad asked what I thought and if I agreed that the woman who’s been there since I was 5 isn’t my real parent.

The therapist tried to step in, but she couldn’t even help.

I said, “Yeah, I agree with Mom there, and Mom and Dad are the only real parents we’ll ever have.”

I said I didn’t care if that upset them, but it was true to me.

The therapist tried to stop them from going crazy after I said it, but she failed.

She told them they needed to understand that not all stepparents are viewed as real parents, but it didn’t matter.

My dad told me I said it to be cruel and to hurt my stepmother’s feelings.

AITA?

Yikes! This whole situation sounds very stressful.

Let’s check out what the folks over at Reddit have to say about what’s going on.

For this reader, both of her parents are guilty.

According to this comment, she should decide who she lives with.

Yet another reader who thinks her parents failed her.

This reader describes it as a toxic family war.

She should stay calm. At this point, she’s less than two years away from being able to make her own decisions as an adult.

If you liked that post, check out this post about a rude customer who got exactly what they wanted in their pizza.