Being a child of divorce is hard, it’s that simple. Even when the divorce/separation is amicable, there still might be some lasting effects on a child’s psyche. Split families are unconventional relative to the American nuclear family, so it only makes sense that kids might be confused as to why mommy and daddy aren’t sleeping in the same bed anymore.

In other cases, one parent is simply unfit to care for their child, and the marriage fizzles out that way. Then, when the custodial parent remarries, there’s another person in the mix causing confusion (unintentionally or not) and the kid gets even more confused.

The father who wrote this story has been with his second wife since his child was very young. There’s never been any indication that she is anything more than her stepmother, especially because the child’s biological mother is loosely in the picture. The bio mom suffers from a myriad of issues, which makes her unfit to take care of the daughter. The father’s second wife knew that his child came first before all, but after many years together, she is now insisting she legally adopt his daughter so the bio mom can be out of the picture. What does the father say? It’s up to my daughter. What unravels is a sad story of ultimatums and possible divorce. Scroll to read.