When my teenage daughter, Rachel, saved every penny she could to buy her dream sewing machine, she didn’t expect her stepmother, Karen, to destroy it out of sheer spite. But when Karen crossed the line, I knew I couldn’t let her get away with it. What followed was a lesson in empathy Karen would never see coming.
Rachel, 16, is bright, creative, and passionate about becoming a fashion designer. She worked tirelessly at a part-time job while balancing school to save for a sewing machine she’d been dreaming of. Despite her father, Mark, and Karen refusing to support her, Rachel achieved her goal and finally brought the machine home, her face glowing with pride.
Her weekends with her dad, however, were always difficult. Karen, a strict and controlling stepmother, seemed to take joy in making Rachel’s life harder. When Rachel called me one Friday evening, sobbing uncontrollably, I knew something had gone horribly wrong.
“She threw it in the pool, Mom,” Rachel whispered through tears. “My sewing machine… because I didn’t do the dishes fast enough. She said I needed to learn a lesson.”
My blood boiled. I grabbed my keys and drove straight to their house. Rachel greeted me at the door, her eyes red and puffy, recounting how Karen destroyed her prized possession while Mark stood by, saying nothing.
Inside, Karen met me with her usual smug expression. “What are you doing here?” she asked, arms crossed.
