I Won’t Kick My Stepdaughter Out—But Only If She Obeys My Three Rules

But more than that, there was an emotional layer Nicole wasn’t ready to face: she and Kayla had never been close.

Kayla was polite, yes, but distant. She rarely joined family movie nights. She refused to eat the meals Nicole cooked unless they were basic—chicken nuggets, mac and cheese. She kept earbuds in most of the time. She called Nicole by her first name, never “stepmom” or anything close. And now this girl—who never looked her in the eyes—would be living under her roof?

Nicole went to bed that night filled with unease. She wasn’t heartless. But she needed a way to make this work. She needed boundaries, not just for Kayla, but for herself.

The next morning, over coffee while Derek was upstairs waking the kids, Nicole pulled out a notepad and scribbled down three sentences.

Three rules.

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