They are full of drama 24/7. They are constantly whining, bitching and complaining. Also, they use my stuff and never return them.
To the top of it, they are also spoiled; even the family counselor confirmed it.
Their mother lives only 20 miles away and sees them maybe once a week. I wish I could see them only once a week. I will be so glad when they are gone.
My biggest fear is that they will never move out of the house. I wish they would move back in with their mom, because I feel like I married them, and not their dad.
Answer
In this counseling answer:
•Your overdramatic teenage stepdaughters need you.
•Set your limits as to what they can and cannot do by sitting down and explaining it to them.
•Set the basic rule for the “meeting” that each person is allowed to speak and have their say without being interrupted or any undermining comments.
•Let the meeting include activities that can be done together, chores in the house, study time, etc.
•Learn to listen to the girls so that you can differentiate between what is reasonable, and what is unreasonable.
As-salamu Alaikum,
I want to say that you did marry them as well as they are your husband’s daughters, and both of you accepted for your stepdaughters to be raised with you.
Raising Stepchildren
The problem has arisen because you have to cope with the legacy of how they were raised before you.
Young girls will moan, and whine, and bitch as long as there is someone to listen to them, and as long as there is room for their “maneuvers”.
OK, they are not your daughters, but you are more or less responsible for them now until such time the domestic situation changes in a halal way.
By this, it means that they have to live with a mahram. So the question is: how are you going to live with each other in the meantime?
Set your rules
Firstly, you have to accept that you are responsible for them, and therefore you have the right to set limits. The first limit you must set is to no longer listen to their whining and their complaints.
Inform your husband that this is what you are going to do and why, and that you expect his support, otherwise all hell will break loose as the girls are more likely to play one person off against the other. If your husband really cares for his daughters, he will support you in this.
Becoming an adult takes longer nowadays, and the way forward from adolescence to adulthood is rife with ambiguities.
Richard Settersten, co-director of the Schubert Center for Child Development makes us aware of the following:
“Adolescents need greater support and guidance from their family and social support systems in navigating their way through to adulthood”
Overdramatic teenage stepdaughters
So basically, your overdramatic teenage stepdaughters still need you. To foster a sense of interdependence and independence mutually:
•Set your limits as to what they can and cannot do by sitting down and explaining it to them.
•Post reminders around the house, including a scheduled family conference, once a week whereby “issues” can be thrashed out. Everyone including your husband should be present.
•Set the basic rule for the “meeting” that each person is allowed to speak and have their say without being interrupted or any undermining comments. This will help to teach patience, how to listen to what the other person has to say, as well as how to be a part of the decision making the process.
•Let the girls speak first, then you, and then your husband, because this will allow him to come to terms with a decision making process. Let the meeting include activities that can be done together, chores in the house, study time, etc.
•Learn to listen to the girls so that you can differentiate between what is reasonable, and what is unreasonable. With what is unreasonable, help them to see why it is unreasonable, and ask them what the solution could be.
Check out this counseling video
Once they can see that you are establishing and intend to maintain a new rule of domestic law, so to speak, in which they are parties to the decision making the process, the whining, bitching, and complaining will subside.
Conclusion
Frankly, it is a media hype that contributes and promotes the idea of reckless and lawless youth.
Yes, they are going through hormonal changes, but their ability to navigate those changes is strongly influenced by the emotional stability of their environment.
For example, aggression is linked to high testosterone levels, but testosterone level is also influenced by the environment, hence interdependent, otherwise all teenagers worldwide would go through the same turmoil, anxieties, carelessness etc., and as we can see, that is not the case.
Make regular dua`aa’ for your family in order to give you strength and sense of purpose, in sha ‘Allah.
Salam,
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Disclaimer: The conceptualization and recommendations stated in this response are very general and purely based on the limited information provided in the question. In no event shall AboutIslam, its counselors or employees be held liable for any damages that may arise from your decision in the use of our services.
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