The kids of my husband despise me. They have and always will, but thankfully my spouse stood by me when he witnessed their cruelty. He gave them an important lesson that ultimately forced them to apologize and mend our differences.
Jack, my spouse, is the father of three children who are older than 21. When I first met him, two years after his wife’s death, he was inconsolable. He became a father at a young age and, regrettably, a widower a few years later. We didn’t get along at all when he introduced me to his children around a year after we first met.
Their father is ten years my junior, so I could see why they were worried about my relationship with him. I’m 53 and he’s 43. We have been engaged for four years and have known one another for more than nine years. Throughout our relationship, I never experienced any sense of acceptance from his children.
Only after all of his children had left the house did I move in with their family. They went to college, so I didn’t see them as often until it was time for me to move in. Nevertheless, they made sure I felt like an outsider in their family by talking about their mother whenever we were together. I told them that I wasn’t attempting to take the place of their mother, but this still happened.
His kids began treating me disrespectfully after Jack proposed, but behind Jack’s back. I didn’t want them to fight, so I kept it from him. I knew that their family had already experienced a lot, particularly Jack, who had to raise his children by himself for years.
Jack felt obligated to fill the void their mother left behind. Therefore, even when his children left the house, he put in twice as much effort to give them a comfortable life.
In any case, a few weeks ago, we got married. His children said they had other urgent responsibilities, therefore they did not attend the modest civil ceremony. We didn’t mind because it was a minor event. We made the extravagant decision to spend more money on our Bahamas honeymoon.
All of his children showed up two days after we touched down. The words “Daddy, we missed you so much!” were spoken. In my ear, someone else said, “You thought you got rid of US, huh?!” We showed them our villa and gave them a tour despite being surprised by their visit. I ordered them some munchies in an effort to be kind. Jack got drinks for everyone in the meantime.
I never imagined that they would ruin my honeymoon, but when one of his children said to me, “You, that old man of 58! Do you still desire a fairy tale? For you, this villa is too opulent. You may have that little cottage, and we’ll take this one.”
“Guys, please don’t ruin this for your father and me,” I said softly. Please don’t make a scene and just give us this honeymoon. I beseech you.
“You will never experience happiness from us.” You certainly don’t deserve this opulent property, and you certainly don’t deserve our dad. “So beat it!” said one of them.
Jack was standing a few feet from the door, crimson with wrath, when we heard a glass smash to the floor.
He cried, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” instead. I had never heard a voice like that before; it was so furious that it made his children silent.
“This is how you pay me back after I have given you everything and provided for you financially? Being disrespectful to my wife?” “And no less on our honeymoon,” Jack cried.
Jack interrupted them as they began to sputter out excuses. “Enough! I’m tired of your conceited actions. Do you believe you can make any demands here? Did you honestly believe that I was unaware of your treatment of my wife?” I ignored it, believing that you would all change over time. This is over.
He took out his phone and dialed. Security for the villa showed up in a matter of minutes. “Take them out with you. They’re not welcome here anymore,” he declared.
His children’s features were a mixture of amazement and embarrassment as the security personnel escorted them away. They objected, but Jack refused to back down. “You promise never to treat my wife or me disrespectfully again.” Before threatening to cancel all of their credit cards, he said, “Take this as a wake-up call and a lesson in respect.”
Jack didn’t spend any time. He called the bank right away and stopped providing them with financial support, making them stand on their own two feet for the first time. He made it plain that their actions had repercussions and that they needed to learn respect and accountability.
The months that followed were difficult. They used their credit cards to enjoy life for a long time. They suffered without it, but in time they began to see the importance of respect and hard work.
All of his children called us one evening. They all said, “Dad, I’m sorry,” with sincere regret in their voices. “We were mistaken. Can we begin again?”
Jack’s eyes were watering as he gazed at me. He said, “Of course,” in a crackly voice. “We can always start over.”
Thus, their friendship was gradually restored. In addition to safeguarding our precious honeymoon, Jack’s prompt decisions gave his children a lesson they would never forget. Although the voyage was challenging, it ultimately strengthened our bonds as a group.
After a wedding, not just Jack’s children learned their lesson. After her daughter got married, the mother of the bride also learned an important lesson.
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