Is Your Stepfamily Lying to You? The Secrets Stepkids, Partners and Exes Keep by Claudette Chenevert
Many stepmoms get frustrated when their stepkids lie about one thing or another. The lies can be major, in an attempt to gloss over breaking curfew, doing drugs, drinking alcohol or stealing. They also can be a series of small lies related to homework, chores or anything else imaginable.
One of the reasons stepmoms seek my help is to deal with such situations. They’re simply not sure of how to handle lying—whether it’s their stepkids fibbing, their partners routinely omitting key information or the exes in their lives embellishing on reality until it’s unrecognizable.
There was the time my own husband, Bernard, had forgotten to tell me about letting his daughters shop for clothes on our dime. Yet, he and I had both agreed earlier that the new outfits would have to wait another two weeks. Our budget simply couldn’t cover it.
The worst form of lying, for me, was when my stepdaughters’ mom would tell them their dad wasn’t paying enough support to cover their expenses. That’s why, according to her, they couldn’t afford to buy a new computer. …To read the rest of this article about stepfamily secrets, log in to your account and download the October 2016 issue. Don’t have an account? Click here to subscribe.