My fiancé and his 7-year-old daughter came to live with me. I was really excited about starting this new chapter with them and wanted to make sure they felt at home. However, almost every morning, I would wake up to the sound of my future stepdaughter’s little feet padding to the kitchen to make breakfast before her dad and I got up.
At first, I thought it was adorable, but as the days passed, I noticed that this was becoming a regular thing for Amila. I understood that kids like to play grown-up sometimes, but it seemed like Amila was taking on a lot for someone her age.
One morning, I walked into the kitchen and saw her making coffee with the coffee machine. “Hey, I made some fresh coffee for you and Dad! Please taste it and let me know if you like it,” she told me.
“Of course I like it, sweetie, but why are you doing all this?” I asked. “Amila, you’re still so young and need more sleep. Why would you wake up before the sun and make breakfast for us?” I was really curious.
But Amila acted like she didn’t hear me at all.
The breakfast situation kept happening over and over, and each time it felt more uncomfortable for me.
It went on like this until I realized she was trying to impress her dad for some reason. One morning, when my fiancé walked into the kitchen, his daughter proudly announced that she had made pancakes. He kissed her and said, “Thanks, sweetie. You’re becoming quite the little homemaker.”
When I heard him say ‘homemaker,’ Amila and I had completely different reactions. I was taken aback that he called her that, while Amila looked really proud of herself.
This just made me more sure that there was something deeper going on.
A few days went by, and I told Amila that we needed to have a serious chat. I explained to her that she didn’t have to worry about making breakfast or cleaning the house. She was just a kid, and those responsibilities should be for the adults. But then she looked at me with sad eyes and said something that broke my heart.
“I overheard Daddy talking to Uncle Jack about my mom. He said that if a woman doesn’t wake up early, cook, and do all the chores, nobody will ever love or marry her,” Amila said. “So if I don’t do all this, my dad won’t love me anymore.”
Hearing that made something inside me snap. This innocent girl was carrying the heavy burden of her father’s unfair expectations.
This needed to change ASAP, and I had a plan.
In the days to come, I asked from my fiance to do a bunch of chores, such as mowing the lawn, do the laundry… you name it.
After a few days, he started to feel that something was off. “Hey, what’s up? Why do I have to do all this stuff?” he questioned. I replied, “If you can’t handle these chores and more, then you won’t be helpful to me, so why would I want to marry you?”
My response left my fiancé completely shocked. “WHAT!?” he shouted.
I looked at him and said, “Ryan, do you realize why your daughter gets up every morning to make breakfast and tidy up the house? It’s because she heard you tell your brother that her mom isn’t worth loving unless she gets up early to cook for you.
“Now she believes that if she doesn’t do those things, you won’t love her.”
“Oh my gosh. But I didn’t mean it like that,” he stammered, trying to explain.
“You really need to apologize to your daughter,” I said, hoping I hadn’t made the situation worse.
“I really do,” Ryan replied as he walked into Amila’s room. He told her that his love for her was without conditions. She was his precious little girl, and he would always love her, no matter what happened. He reassured her that what she had heard was not true and that she never had to worry about making breakfast again.
Amila felt a wave of relief wash over her. Those words were exactly what she needed to hear.
Even though Ryan still felt bad for making his daughter question his love, he was determined to be a better dad from now on.
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.