Parenting rules can get complicated in blended families.

In this story, a woman set boundaries on when and how her stepdaughter should use her car.

She and her husband are paying for the vehicle, so she decided that her stepdaughter could not bring her car to her biological mother’s house.

The stepdaughter disagreed, and tensions escalated over control and safety.

Now, this sounds like a clear clash between the two households.

Read the full story below to find out more.

AITAH: won’t let step daughter use car during her moms custody

My husband and I have been married for 10 years.

My stepdaughter (16F) just got a car that my husband and I pay for. We also pay for the insurance.

I love my SD and treat her like my own. I have been in her life since she was four.

It was hard in the beginning. Her mom encourages and allows some very bad behaviors.

She has since gotten better at understanding that our house has structure and rules.

This woman implements reasonable rules for her stepdaughter.

Parents need to be respected.

For context, her expectations have always been age-appropriate.

I make sure that when I say something, it has a reason.

I do not say “no” or tell her to do something as a power-tripping evil stepmother.

On the other hand, her stepdaughter’s mom barely has rules or structure.

Her mom’s house is basically a free-for-all. There are very few rules or structure.

She often leaves SD in charge of her two younger siblings. She also lives over an hour away.

I have told SD, with my husband agreeing, that we do not want her using the car traveling to and from her mom’s house.

It also applies while under her mom’s custody.

Her stepdaughter felt upset.

SD is obviously very upset by this. She thinks she should be able to use “her” car when she is over there.

My reasoning is this. I do not want it being used to transport her siblings around.

I do not want SD to turn into a chauffeur for her mom and risk her mom driving it for any reason.

She often has car problems and issues. I could easily see her viewing it as a second vehicle for herself.

She doesn’t feel comfortable that her stepdaughter is one hour away.

All those issues aside, there are other concerns.

If there were to be an accident or emergency, I would not feel comfortable.

We would be well over an hour away. My husband or I would not be able to quickly handle insurance claims.

We would not be able to ensure everything is documented properly.

Now, she’s asking if she was wrong to implement such rule.

Aside from being upset, SD has brought up something else.

She said she would like to start working and she needs transportation for that.

That is reasonable. But in my opinion, the good far outweighs the bad here.

I stand firm on the idea that she should not have the car while in her mother’s custody.

Never Miss a Story

Sign up to get our BEST stories of the week straight to your inbox.

So, AITA?

Co-parenting can sometimes put you in a tricky situation, especially if you are looking after a stepchild.

It looks like opposing house rules are clashing in this situation.

OP’s concerns make sense, but it’s also hard for her stepdaughter to feel restricted, especially since she’s soon going to be an adult.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a stepmom who says stepson isn’t doing enough, despite the fact that he’s working 12-hour shifts to pay for his own college.

If you were in her shoes, would you make the same rule? Let’s read the responses of other people.

This person makes a valid point.

This one makes sense, too.

It’s a huge liability, says this user.

Here’s a similar thought.

Finally, people are siding with OP.

If you pay for the car, you usually get to make the rules, too.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a man whose celebratory post-grad school vacation is being ruined by his family’s insistence he’s being lazy.