Chip Chick
The dress from her 9th birthday is on the costume rack, and she really doesn’t mind that her brother’s friends will put on her dress and use it for their playtime.
“…I like that it’s used and that it creates the same joy as it once gave me,” she said. “My stepsister loves using this dress.”
“Yesterday was my stepsister’s birthday; my dad called me in the morning and told me she had just decided she wanted instead a costume party, so he was wondering if I could lend her my purple dress. I told him I didn’t feel comfortable lending it to her for her birthday because 1) the party would be outside, and it’s a long dress that could get ruined, and he or his girlfriend isn’t well known for taking care of other people’s stuff (I didn’t say that to him).”
“And 2) honestly, it’s my birthday dress, I don’t mind other girls using it for playing at my house for an hour or two, but if she also uses it for her birthday, then it stops being my birthday dress, it’s just a dress used for birthdays. This might be a little selfish, but it’s the truth.”
Her dad was extremely shocked when she said no to her stepsister borrowing her dress. Her dad then tried to say he told all of the party guests to dress up in costumes, and her stepsister could not be the only person at her party without a costume.
She replied back to her dad by suggesting he could rent or buy a different costume for her stepsister, but he maintained the ones he saw to rent were all “ugly.”
She didn’t back down even though her dad kept pushing her to say yes. Later on, her dad then came to her mom’s house in an effort to get her to give in.
Luckily, her mom shut her dad down and stated he couldn’t go around making super last-minute decisions and thinking everyone would be ok with his plans.
Eventually, her mom kindly offered to make her stepsister a brand new dress for her 10th birthday, and her dad did find a different dress to rent for her stepsister.
“But even after that, he sent me a text telling me he is disappointed in me because he raised me to be able to share,” she continued.
“I feel bad for her, but I don’t feel like it’s my responsibility to save her poorly planned birthday.”
