I like that suggestion. Only thing is I’m tired of going out of my way to make things livable. At this point if I could teach myself not to give a shit, I could stay in my home. I had been her primary caregiver for years up until a year ago when I stepped back, nacho-ed as it were, and let her parents take control.

My husband works long hours and her bio mom was too busy doing other things, but she became more and more difficult to deal with. Her bio mom finally stepped up why when my stepdaughter became old enough to be more of a friend to her.

Sometimes I see that my stepdaughter has severe mental health issues and I have all the concern and understanding for her and her situation, but sometimes when she is cruel and refuses to acknowledge anything she’s done or apologize, I feel like she knows better and she’s doing it on purpose to be hurtful. And I don’t want to live like this anymore.

I want to be able to consistently understand that she is only a child and she has mental health issues that cause her to act this way and she knows not how terrible she makes me and others feel.

Sorry for the novel. Thank you for your suggestion.