Sarah never thought she’d be in this situation and needs advice. She feels like the bad guy in her own home and isn’t sure if what she did was right. She wrote to us for feedback. Here’s her story.

Sarah asked her stepdaughter to follow some rules for a healthy home environment.

Sarah is married to a wonderful man, Mark, who has a 16-year-old daughter, Emma, from a previous marriage. Emma has been living with them full-time for the past six months. At first, Sarah was excited to get closer to Emma, but things didn’t go as planned. Emma is a smart, strong-willed teenager, and they’ve clashed over house rules.

Sarah wrote, “From the beginning, I made it clear that there were certain expectations in our home. I believe in having a structured environment with clear rules to help everyone get along.” These rules are:

Emma was used to a more relaxed environment at her mom’s place, and from day one, she resisted Sarah’s rules. At first, it was little things—leaving dirty dishes in the sink or ignoring her chores. Sarah tried to talk to her calmly, explaining why these rules were important for everyone’s well-being, but Emma would just nod and do the bare minimum.

The real trouble started with the curfew. Emma would regularly stay up past midnight on school nights, texting or browsing social media. This affected her mood and performance in school. When Sarah tried to enforce the 10 PM bedtime, Emma argued back, saying all her friends stayed up later and it wasn’t fair.

Emma yelled at Sarah.
Then there was the screen time rule. Sarah wrote, “Emma’s phone was practically glued to her hand. She’d bring it to the dinner table despite repeated reminders to put it away. One evening, I firmly asked her to put her phone down during dinner. Emma exploded, shouting, ‘You’re not my mom! You can’t tell me what to do!'”

That was the final straw for Sarah. She felt disrespected and undermined. She discussed the situation with Mark, but he was torn. He didn’t like the idea of Emma being upset, but he also understood the need for rules. Unfortunately, he often sided with Emma, making it harder for Sarah to enforce anything consistently.

One night, after another argument over chores and curfew, Sarah sat down with Emma. She told her calmly but firmly that these rules were not negotiable. If she couldn’t follow them, they’d have to reconsider her living arrangement. Emma glared at her and said, “Fine, maybe I should just go back to Mom’s then!”

Sarah didn’t want it to come to this, but she also couldn’t keep living in a household where there was no respect for the rules. She told Emma that maybe spending more time at her mom’s would be a good idea until they could all figure things out.

Emma packed a bag and left that night to stay with her mom. Mark was heartbroken and blamed Sarah for being too strict. She felt awful but also relieved. The constant tension had been unbearable.

Now, Sarah is left wondering if she did the right thing. She wants to have a good relationship with Emma, but she also believes in maintaining structure and respect in their home. Has anyone been through something similar? How do you balance enforcing rules and maintaining relationships with stepchildren?