How to Deal With a Mean Step Mom

Fairy tales are filled with examples of evil stepmothers who go out of their way to make their stepchildren's lives miserable. In reality, stepmothers arrive in new homes with a variety of skills. Some may be single parents, while others may have no idea of how to parent. Your stepmother, however, is just plain mean -- or so it seems. Once you and your stepmother become comfortable with each other, you may discover having a "wicked stepmother" is a good thing.

Instructions

    • 1

      Track the mean episodes in an incident diary. Write down the dates and events as you remember them as soon as possible. Keeping a log of events will allow you to accurately point out incidents when you feel your stepmother acted mean or inappropriately. It is factual evidence you can fall back on instead of saying, "She's always mean to me."

    • 2

      Tell your father how you feel. He may not agree with you, but hearing about a possible problem may cause him to pay closer attention. He may not have noticed your stepmom's abrupt comments, but now he knows how they make you feel. He may be able to speak to your stepmother and help clear up or prevent future misunderstandings. It's imperative you express your feelings in a rational manner. Your father won't take you seriously if you yell or scream. Show him your incident logs so he understands the depth of your feelings.

    • 3

      Communicate your thoughts and feelings in a family meeting. You may think your stepmother is being mean, when in reality she is trying to protect you. At a family meeting your stepmom can explain her actions and you can express how her actions make you feel. You may be surprised to find out she is insecure in her role as a stepmom and anxious to avoid making mistakes. Seeing her actions through your eyes may cause your stepmother to reevaluate her interactions with you.

    • 4

      Give the situation time to get better. All families have problems. Allow yourself and your stepmother time to adjust. Get to know each other and any new rules at your father's house.

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