My ex-husband and his wife just had a newborn. My 16-year-old daughter lives with them, and last night she called me in tears, whispering like she didn’t want anyone to hear. She told me she’d been put on “night shift” duty with the baby—because her stepmom said, “You can’t live here for free. You have to earn it.”
I saw red. My daughter has school. She needs sleep. And this isn’t her baby or her responsibility, especially not as some kind of “rent” for existing in her dad’s house.
But instead of calling and screaming (which I knew could make things worse for her), I panicked… and I came up with what felt like a plan.
The next morning, I arranged a surprise visit from CPS (Child Protective Services). I wanted it documented by someone official. I wanted someone outside the family to hear what was happening and step in before it became normal.
CPS spoke to my ex, his wife, and my daughter. In the end, they said there wasn’t enough evidence to take further action.
And then everything blew up.
My ex-husband called it a “low blow.” But what shocked me even more was my daughter’s reaction—she was upset with me too. She said involving CPS made things more stressful, not better, and now she feels caught in the middle more than ever.
Now I can’t stop thinking about it. Part of me feels guilty, like I created chaos in her life when she already felt overwhelmed. But the other part of me is still furious and worried—because it’s not okay for a teenager to be sleep-deprived caring for a newborn, especially when she has school in the morning.
I want to protect her and stand up for her… I just don’t know how to do it now without causing even more conflict around her.
