A woman was applauded for refusing to give her wedding dress to her stepdaughter, even though she had initially offered it to her, and instead gave it to her future daughter-in-law.

And although the situation is complicated, one expert said Newsweek the stepmother is certainly not wrong and “has every right to give her dress to whomever she wants.”

The 42-year-old woman, who did not give her name but writes on Reddit under the username u/TemperatureOverall94, explained that she had always dreamed of giving her wedding dress to her future daughter and even opted for a simple look for her own wedding to ensure it remained “timeless.”

She had a son with her husband, whom she named Mark for this article; unfortunately, he died when Mark was still young and the two had no other children together.

The mother eventually remarried and named her son Rob, who was ten years older than her. She also had a stepdaughter named Molly, who is now 24.

But even though she was “so excited to have a stepdaughter,” Molly remained cool with her and “made it clear that she didn’t see me as her real mommy.” She even accused her of being a “model wife” and spending her father’s money.

Kristen Skiles, certified stepmom coach and founder of the Stepmomming support center, admitted, Newsweek: “The stepmother-stepchild relationship is a very challenging one and research shows that the stepmother-stepdaughter bond is the most difficult of all.”

As the years went by, the woman continued to put a lot of effort into Molly and eventually offered her the wedding dress for her own wedding. It had to be altered because she is 5’9″ and wears a size 34, while Molly is 5’4″ and wears a size 38.

But, she said, “Molly scoffed and said I had archaic values ​​and the dress was cheesy and left. That really hurt because she knew what that dress meant to me and she didn’t care. After that, I stopped trying so hard to build a relationship with her.”

According to the Step Family Foundation, more than 50 percent of families in the United States remarry or reunite, and an estimated 1,300 new blended families, also called blended families, are formed each day.

Now her son Mark is engaged to a woman she named Lucy, with whom she has a “great relationship” – and when she offered Lucy the dress, “it fit like a glove” and “she fell in love with it.”

But suddenly Molly asked her about the dress. She refused because she had promised it to Lucy.

Skiles, in conversation with Newsweekassured the stepmother that she had every right to deny Molly the dress. “When her stepdaughter said she didn’t want it, the stepmother took her at her word and gave it to someone else, her future daughter-in-law. The stepmother could have sold or donated the dress; it’s hers.”

She wrote on the Reddit subreddit r/AmITheA*****e: “Now Molly is saying I prefer Lucy over her because she conforms to traditional standards of femininity (getting married and being thin). This is absolute bullshit, but it got me thinking: if the roles were reversed and Lucy was the one asking for the dress after initially rejecting it, would I give it to her? Is Molly right that I prefer Lucy?”

And Reddit users responded in droves: The post has received 7,900 upvotes and over 1,100 comments since it was published on August 10.

“Molly only wants it because Lucy has it,” wrote one. “Lucy recognized how precious that dress was to you and treated it accordingly – Molly turned up her nose to hurt you.”

Another agreed: “Sometimes in life we ​​make choices we can’t take back and we have to learn to live with them. It was never Molly’s dress and she missed her chance to change that.”

And one warned the woman: “This sounds like a manipulative tactic by your stepdaughter to stir up drama. You offered her the dress and she turned down the offer. Now that you’ve made the offer to your FDIL and she’s accepted it, does your stepdaughter want it? Is she even engaged?”

Skiles, meanwhile, suggested that the stepmother give Molly a “sincere explanation,” assuring her that she never intended to hurt her feelings or attack her personally in any way when she gave Lucy the dress, and that she wants to continue to have a good relationship with her.

“In order to create harmony in the family in the future, the waters must be smoothed over,” warned Skiles, but admitted that there was no guarantee that Molly “would be open to a discussion about the dress.”

“But if it is not acknowledged, she will likely hold a grudge and make up her own story about why the dress was passed on to Lucy instead.”

The woman later posted an update reassuring commenters that her husband, Molly’s father, was on her side, but she also expressed concern that she had portrayed her stepdaughter in a bad light.

She explained that Molly had a difficult relationship with her biological mother and although she “wishes her the best (…), she will definitely not get that dress.”

If you have a similar family dilemma, let us know at [email protected]. We can ask experts for advice and your story could appear in Newsweek.