My stepson Eric had always been frosty with my daughter Julie. I tried to correct his attitude gently, but my husband usually dismissed it as “boys being boys,” which infuriated me.
Everything changed when Julie cried on the phone from school. With tears in her voice, she told me Eric had taken her pads, forcing her to walk through school with a noticeable red stain. I was livid—no child should endure that.
I called Eric’s mom and told her to pick him up immediately and keep him home. She understood completely. But when my husband came home, he exploded. “You had no right!” he yelled. Soon, his mother joined in, scolding me for overreacting—saying Julie was too sensitive and that thirteen-year-olds are just like that. It was the last straw.
That night, I packed up and took Julie to stay at my mom’s. The next day, I replayed the confrontation in my head. Had I gone too far? I ended up asking myself: when protecting your child, how do you draw the line between being harsh and doing what’s right?
