14-year-old girl wrecks 14-year-old stepsister's basement renovation project: 'My stepdaughter can’t return home until she pays my daughter back'

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Mar 22, 2025 3:00 PM EDT

These 3 siblings aren't getting along, and their parents are unsure how to handle their infighting. 

No matter how fantastic of a parent you are, navigating your kids' teenage years is an unbelievably challenging task. Now imagine you have two 14-year-old daughters and a 16-year-old son! The drama that's going down is just as crazy as you can imagine. 

When you're a teen, you sometimes get upset over little issues. If your sibling won't drive you to your friend's house, you might give them the cold shoulder for a few days instead of communicating your annoyance. Or maybe your brother finishes your favorite snack food, leaving an empty bag in the pantry… ugh, annoying! Still, there's never an excuse to start breaking your family member's belongings like this 14-year-old did. That's some pretty severe behavior, but since this kid is so young, hopefully, there's time to fix her intense behavioral issues before she's grown up. 

Next, read the wild story of an entitled girlfriend who decided to ditch her BF's $11k project car while he was on a business trip, infuriating him: 'I told her… to pack her things and leave." 

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    Cheezburger Image 10483814656
    via u/Educational_Pick_368
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    "AITA for telling my husband that my stepdaughter can’t return home until she pays my daughter back?"

    I (30 f) have a 14 year old daughter Leia. Married my husband Mark (46 M) 6 years ago. He has two children from a previous marriage Koi (16 M) and Coral (14f). Me and Mark have the kids full time but his kids live with their mom for a few weeks during the summer. They moved into my lake house which has five bedrooms. Two of the bedrooms upstairs have bathrooms. My daughter had one of those
    via u/Educational_Pick_368
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    rooms. But as the girls began high school Coral began complaining about not having a bathroom and said it's unfair. Mark and Koi told her to stop complaining. Leía said it was fine and asked us if she could turn the basement into her room. I didn't like that idea but she begged. So I agreed. Turns out my daughter wanted a room makeover so this worked out. We give the kids allowance
    via u/Educational_Pick_368
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    and allowed them to get a work permit. Koi worked at an arcade and told the girls he could get them jobs. Coral refused to work but Leia agreed. After five months of saving her allowance, she able to buy everything she needed to decorate. Coral never bothered to go down there because she believed it was full of spiders, but Koi was down there everyday helping her.
    via u/Educational_Pick_368
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    After a week she completely transformed the basement. She invited everyone down, and it was stunning. I didn't even know that computer towers could be clear. She looked so proud. Coral then screamed that it wasn't fair and that she wanted the basement now.
    via u/Educational_Pick_368
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    Everyone began yelling at her but she began crying and before we know it she ran over to the computer and threw the tower on the ground. The glass shattered and one of the monitors fell to the floor also breaking. My daughter cried. I explained to Mark that Coral has to pay for this. He said her emotions are just high and that we'll get situated when everything calms down. I ran to Coral and yelled saying that she's on punishment.
    via u/Educational_Pick_368
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    Mark didn't agree but I didn't care. Coral was unnecessarily crying, and ran to her mothers car. Koi was trying to help my daughter, and Mark tried to hand her 300 dollars but Koi explained that Coral caused about a thousand dollars worth of damages. He said luckily the expensive pieces in the case were saved, but the case itself was about 450 and the monitor
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    was 200. Mark explained that he doesn't have that kind of money. So I said she can't come back until my daughters stuff is repaired with a sincere apology. Koi agreed and mark was upset saying he couldn't do that to his daughter. I told him to leave if that's the case.
    via u/Educational_Pick_368
  • 09
    Mark left for a few hours and handed my daughter a check for 1000 dollars. I explained that Coral can't come back if there is no punishment. My husband's ex wife is saying that I'm banning her from our home because she didn't deserve that bigger space and that we were treating Coral unfairly. But I said she did that there was nothing unfair about the situation. The Ex just hung up.
    via u/Educational_Pick_368
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    Now my husband's ex in laws are bombarding him with phone calls saying he's a horrible dad. His sister even said he's being a bad parent and they're best friends so it's really getting to him. This happened last night and he hasn't gotten up yet. Should I apologize? Aita
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    SI booklover02 I say NTA. She is old enough to know that what she did was wrong. She wanted a room with a bathroom. She gor that. HER bio brother offered to help her get a job for extra money. She refused.
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    She refused to go in the basement before this because of spiders. Now... YOUR daughter gave up her room, got a job, and was responsible. She spent her own hard earned money AND the money she saved from allowance. She put her time and money into making a new space her own. She was rightfully proud of it and wanted to share with her family.
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    When she did, her step sister destroyed her property and wasn't even. sorry about it. Then she went to her other parents and good chance didn't even give all the information so she had everyone on her side. She is the j in this situation!
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    The fact that her BIO brother knew she screwed up bad should say something. As for the bio mom and the ex in-laws, shame on them for taking just the word of an emotional teenager. They should at least talk to the brother who was there. If not the dad.
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    And his sister shame on her! Because ypur daughter doesn't share DNA with her, she is less than? Is she not aunt to your daughter? Does she really not consider her family? A small part of me understands that her relationship with the other two runs deeper, BUT once you two got married, you n yours became their family. Or I hope that's how it worked.
    via u/Educational_Pick_368
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    As for your husband, shame on him. The fact that he just disregards (from what I gathered) how your daughter feels is shameful. And that he thinks it's okay for his daughter to behave that way, and just to throw money, he said he didn't have at her is disrespectful.
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    For anyone who blames your I think they need to reread. No where did you state she was gone for good. You simply said she needed to apologize and mean it to your daughter. The ball is in her court now.
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    Its not like your pressing charges for destruction of property. You want her to apologize. for being a j and to mean it. I hope it works out. And good on the son for being supportive of your daughter. Its hard being a step kid to siblings. So, the fact that he seems to make that effort is amazing!
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    People had some thought-provoking questions and comments for this mom

    YeeHawMiMaw NTA. Question if she does - apologize and come back, will Leia be able to secure her stuff in the future? Is there a lock on the door where Coral can be locked out?
    via u/YeeHawMiMaw
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    Cheezburger Image 10483834880
    via Елизавета Крылова on Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    superflex NTA. So to be clear, first it wasn't fair that Leia had one of the upstairs bedrooms with an ensuite bath. I am assuming that when the basement project got the green light, the natural outcome of that was going to be Coral moving into that bedroom.
    via u/Superflex
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    Second, Coral wanted nothing to do with the basement. Didn't want the space, contributed no time, effort, or money to the work on it. And then when she saw the finished product, all of the sudden she wanted it, and "it wasn't fair" again. Third, Coral got shut down, and in a fit of rage, smashed Leia's custom PC and one of her monitors.
    via u/Superflex
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    Coral is a entitled brat. I think you're on shaky ground with the concept of banning one of your stepchildren from your marital home, but punishment and restitution is 100% warranted.
    via u/Superflex
  • 24
    SmeeegHeead Nta. I'd also be telling your husband to grow a spine or leave.
    via u/SmeeegHeead
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    ApparentlyaKaren 14 years old is WAAAAY too old to act like that
    via u/ApparentlyaKaren
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    [deleted] NTA and do NOT back down! Good for you for being an amazing parent!!
    via u/[deleted]
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    RBrown4929 You have a husband problem. Your stepdaughter has a father problem. I don't think you can say she can't come back until she pays your daughter back, but your husband paying your daughter solves nothing.
    via u/RBrown4929
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    She needs therapy, needs to get a job and pay back her father, needs to sincerely apologize to your daughter and needs strict boundaries. I don't think her father will do any of that. Good luck. NTA
    via u/RBrown4929
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    13ex_G Nta but this is the man you choose to be around your daughter? This issue is bigger than his daughter, you need to re-evaluate your marriage and go to counselling to get on the same page
    via u/13ex_G

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family drama step sister stepmother aita mother step mother stepfather family step father daughter step mom step brother son Father
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