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19th February 2024
10:51am GMT
Being a stepparent can be very difficult at the best of times, particularly if you clash with the child's biological parent.
One stepmother was left feeling conflicted after her stepdaughter's mother told her she wasn't allowed to use tampons.
She explained that she has been married to the girl's (Alex) dad since she was five, but her biological mother is also remarried.
"All four of us think of her as a daughter, and she lives with her mom and stepdad 50% of the time and me and my husband the other 50% of the time basically she has two sets of parents."
The stepmother explained that Alex's mother tends to be a little more conservative than she is.
She usually has no issues with her but has recently found that her views on period products are relatively odd.
The biological mum believes that tampons "take your virginity" and won't let her daughter use them for this reason.
However, Alex is a keen swimmer and has plans to join the swim team at her school. However, she will be forced to miss practice because she can't use tampons.
She has told her stepmum that all of the other girls use them and she's concerned about missing her classes.
"She says that she doesn't like being the only one who can't swim when she's on her period," she explained.
The stepmum has told her that she is always welcome to use the tampons in their bathroom, but feels somewhat bad for going behind her husband's back.
She feels like she did the right thing, but was hesitant about sharing. However, many parents agreed that she did right by her stepdaughter and has simply made the girl's life that little bit easier.
Do you think she was in the wrong?
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