Boyfriend ABANDONS his girlfriend in a foreign country?!? 

On the third story Rebecca missed the fact that the boyfriend was brand new AFTER plans were made to co-host the party.

Story #2: That man needs to RUN! And he needs to get as FAR away from that family as possible. And here's why: That 15-year-old girl KNOWS how to manipulate a situation. She KNOWS what to say and how to act. She WILL accuse him one day of something horrible. And it WILL be her word against his.

3rd story: it is completely reasonable to ask her not to bring her boyfriend when MULTIPLE people have expressed that they are UNCOMFORTABLE around him. I completely disagree with you. If she’s disinvited she’s no longer co-hosting, easy, they originally just disinvited him and she chose to value him over her friends and disinvited herself. I have been with my partner since high school (6 years now) and I made it a point and still make it a point to go to events separately because I think it’s important to sustain individual relationships with other people (and yourself) as well. We still go to most events together, especially major things like weddings, but for smaller parties with my female friends or his make friends we usually go independently. I think she’s a good apple, the only thing I would suggest doing differently would be to say that it was just a friend thing and not have significant others come unless they are also integrated into the organic friend group.

Story 3: If he makes people uncomfortable and she only started dating him a week before, no he should not be there. Good apple

Story 3, I think the key word was NEW boyfriend. He was not on the original guest list and Lilly wanted to add him after the fact.

Story 2: It seems like the soon-to-be stepdad is being tasked with parent responsibilities without any of the rights that provides. Riley needs to take him to school with her and apologize to the principal and the resource officer as well as introduce him. Then he needs to be put on the approved pick up list.

Story #1 - This is an odd one. I feel like both OP and his wife are each coming from a good place and neither one meant any harm. Both just care about the kid and are trying to put him first. To me, this isn't so much a full argument as it’s just two young parents still figuring out how to co-parent.

Story #2: Additionally, this 'charming individual' of a teenager needs to make amends with school office personnel and the resource officer. Mom, fiancé, and Riley all need to go to the school for an introductions and mea culpa session, because she lied to all of them as well and OP also needs to be added to the approved pick-up list. AND OP needs to consider if he really wants to marry into this situation.

Oh my gosh! That second story! What the heck? I get the whole 'I got busy at work, so I forgot to call the school' thing, like that makes sense! But to say that he's overreacting because your daughter almost got him ARRESTED? Leave, my guy! This family seems really toxic to me! Fiance's the bad apple! Stepdad is a good apple!

As a parent, the dad is doing what he has to do. The mom needs to get her emotional issues in order and they should talk through all that, but she's undermining everything they've been trying to do in the name of feeling better. NTA.

3rd story: I think you forgot that she OFFERED to not go if her boyfriend could not go, and OP said that was fine, and this boyfriend makes multiple previously invited guests uncomfortable. OP was the good apple in my opinion

k for that 3rd story, i’d go good apple honestly. if MULTIPLE people have said they won’t go if that guy is there or he makes people uncomfortable, obv that guy has some sort of reputation. also i wouldn’t want multiple of my friends to not go to a party of mine because they don’t like one guest that i don’t like either. it’s ok to have a good time without your partner and with friends your partner isn’t friends with. if that friend drops you as a friend because she wanted to force you to be around someone who made you uncomfortable and is rude, they were never your friend. (also if she can get uninvited, its not her party)

Mrs. Rogers, I think you missed the point in story #3 where the boyfriend came on the scene after the party was initially planned. Plus, there were multiple people who were made uncomfortable by the boyfriend. Another thing that I noticed was it sounded like Lilly made a conscious choice to not go to the party because her boyfriend was not invited. I go good apple for OP on this story.

Story 1: Babysitter here! I’m not a parent, so obviously I don’t know what it’s like to be a full time caregiver, but I think there’s some things to think about with the first story. Every kid is different!! Some kids might work better with strict schedules, and some might feel better with a looser one. I think that maybe the dad knows how the kid lives best, and maybe got frustrated when his wife didn’t know that about the kid. It didn’t say specifically so I don’t want to assume, but that’s what I thought the case might be.

Riley wasn’t “playing a prank”. That girl was clearly being malicious. This man needs to run the other way. It will not get better. If Riley has a problem with it all maybe she needs to punish her mom because it’s not the fiancé’s fault.

Story #3 - "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one" Unless everyone else invited to the party is bringing a significant other or the # of guests already includes some couples, i dont see a reason why a random, recent boyfriend should be included, if its gonna cause nearly half the rest of the guests to drop out. Yea, maybe they should try to be more accepting of him in the scheme of things, but this ONE party should not make or break friendships that are much longer than this new boyfriend.

Story 1: Schedules can be a little dynamic every so often, but rules like no sweets before dinner can not be dynamic. If you start "just this once" children will have full on meltdowns for a couple of weeks because they don't understand why it was ok one day and not another. Children especially young ones need boundaries. I agree though the dad needed to say something sooner and calmer than letting it build up until it reached a boil. It's understandable, it happens, but it is something he needs to work on. 🦀 🍎

The co-host story, the boyfriend wasn’t invited in the first place and wasn’t even in the picture until after the party has been organised.

1. If you let your kid go off schedule 1 day, it takes up to 2 weeks in my experience to get them remotely back on it. Those couple weeks end up generally being a nightmare and the kids act up so much after getting off schedule

For story 3, I say good apple. Lily has been dating this guy for a week. This guy makes a ton of people uncomfortable, who knows why. But he makes so many people uncomfortable because he’s rude. It sounds like she talked to Lily about how he makes people uncomfortable and Lily said that if he isn’t going then she won’t go either. So OP said fine then don’t go. I don’t think she did anything wrong.

Story 2: I think Riley needs more than a punishment, she needs an education. Like, taking her around the local police station to see the reality of prison insofar as it is safe and appropriate. We don't use the police as a weapon.

It is unacceptable to invite a plus-one to a party that you are not paying for without permission. This is especially true for couples that haven't been together long or if you know the party host is on a budget (as young people generally are). It's generally in better taste to let someone you know to be in a serious relationship invite a plus-one to a wedding, but etiquette only requires you let them bring a plus-one if they are married, engaged, or living together. Likewise, friends are allowed to hang out (especially in a small, seven-to-eight-person get together rather than a large party) without significant others. I agree that there is some gray area since the OP had asked Lily to cohost, but I also think it's in poor taste of Lily to invite someone else to a party she was presumably not paying for and I think she can spend one day away from a boyfriend she only recently started seeing.

Story3: Good apple. That is a new relationship. I’ve seen horror/drama/mystery movies… that man does not need to go to THIS party. They can give him another chance if they want. I don’t think that relationship is going to last, and they shouldn’t throw friendship(s) away for a random dude she just started dating. She doesn’t have to let a man she hardly knows into her home!!! That’s dangerous!!

On the two girls co hosting, the boyfriend wasn’t in the picture to start with. He’s literally like a week old. No one likes him and he would ruin the party. Why would you think someone who your friend has known for less than a week should ruin the Christmas party? Clearly the friend is the problem here.

Story two: This man should RUN from this family. As a mother, she shouldn't marry someone her daughter hates while they are under same roof. Problems will continue.

story 3: i agree with you in the sense that op needs to be prepared to loose a friend and if ur cohosting with someone you would assume they are closer so out of respect for the friendship her bf should be invited. however, with this party being planned before they started dating i think it is more reasonable for op not to want him there. op may not have asked her to cohost if they were dating. also if this is new relationship and the friends don’t like him, being at a party together may be toxic for everyone because emotions are fresh, where if this was a longer situation emotions about this relationship would have calmed down. i still think she may lose her friend over this and should consider if its worth it. in my opinion op is a good apple only because of circumstances but i dont think she can be mad if this ruins their friendship

(story 3)i totally understand where rebecca is coming from, but, this is a NEW boyfriend, who was not on the original guest list. the op then told her friend her new boyfriend would not be added to the guest list, because then her other friends (who were on the original guest list) wouldnt come, and he made them uncomfortable. the friend than said she wouldnt come, TO THE PARTY SHE WAS HOSTING. this was a new boyfriend, and she picked him over her friends. if it is just a small xmas party with friends, i think that the boyfriend doesnt need to come, and friend can spend time with him later.

Story 2: there is a huge problem here as mum is allowing her child to dismiss the other adult in the household. The fact the child at 15 years old thought it was ok to “joke” in this way is really telling. At that age I’d expect she knew how serious that could be and it shows enormous disrespect. The child doesn’t have to accept OP as a parent figure but showing respect is required. Excluding OP from all aspects of parenting is a misstep in this instance. Good apple

Set boundaries and keep them all the time.

Number 2, that kid is the bad apple.

I don't understand the crab apple for the third one. How exactly could OP have acted any better? 1. She asked her friend to co-host the party before her friend started dating this guy 2. It seems her friend kind of missed some of her co-hosting duties to begin with 3. This new boyfriend would destroy the party because half the guests won't show up if he's there So basically, OP has to choose whether to have a Christmas party with most of her original guests, or only half of them plus one guy she doesn't really know and doesn't seem to like. The co-hosting argument is not very strong when the situation changed after the co-hosting agreement was made. If the friend is uninviting herself and OP is agreeing, they're basically agreeing not to co-host anymore. The friend didn't seem to have put that much effort into co-hosting yet, so it doesn't seem like she's owed anything regarding the party. So what exactly is the problem? For the 4th story: My first instinct is that the girlfriend met someone that made her doubt her relationship. I would be very wary if she asked me not to "extend the trip and keep enjoying together" but to "go home and let her explore herself". Like, that alone is rather suspicious, even leaving aside the part where she admits she wants to think about the relationship, and that she expects her little extension trip to be all expenses paid. I wouldn't break up with her on the spot but this would be a cue for me to seriously reconsider the relationship.

Story #4 - That's the quickest I've ever typed good apple. The girlfriend is entitled and it sounds like she was just using "I'm finding myself" an excuse to get OP to spend more money on her.

The mom is the bad apple as is the daughter. Guy could have been arrested. Not to mention, in today’s world, officers have shot people, especially guys, under a situation like this.

story #2 is the reason why some are not believed when it comes to certain crimes

Regarding story #4, she was DEFINITELY planning to cheat on him.

I know this is a hot topic, but I remember hearing that story somewhere else and in the comments he clarified that he's also black which puts a whole other light on the situation. If that resource officer was racist or even just more trigger happy? There are officers who will shoot pedophiles and creeps on sight so Terrifying situation

Last story has an update where OP explains that his then already ex girlfriend met an Italian guy during their trip and wanted to stay there with him.

Flexible…with the SLEEP schedule??!! 😂 My anxiety spikes just thinking about it and my “babies” are way out of toddler years! Yeah, no. Some us had kids who could sleep wherever and whenever, and then some of us barely survived those nap days! OP is solidly in Crab Apple territory. It should have been handled differently, but man, it’s relatable.

Story 2: I think she needs detention!!! She needs consequences at school!!! He could’ve been severally harmed!!!!! This could have been a code red!!! She could’ve traumatized a whole school full of people!!!! Take her phone, she can go to school and home, no friends, no sports, andddd she will tell the principal what she did!!! That’s disgusting!!!! She will make a terrible adult if they don’t teach her respect now!!!

A child needs order, structure, bath/nap time/bedtime all needs to be at the same time

I remember this last story the gf just wanted to use that time to cheat on op with some Italian dude. Op then gives her a ultimatum to be a the airport when the plane leaves or figure it out yourself (which also includes the hotel room). So the morning of the return op leaves for the airport and sometime later the gf appears (because she does not have money for a hotel room). Op then find out the real reason she want to stay and breaks up with her when they get back home.

Story 1: I think both parents are crab apples. They need to communicate better. She needs to look at the schedule, especially the sweets and naps. They need to work on the schedule when she has her off days. That way, she doesn't feel left out, and everyone knows what is happening. Story 2: OP is a good apple. The mom and Riley are bad apples. Dump them both.

Story one: Good apple. Having certain schedules set for young ones is crucial. He did bring up several times to her that she is taking him off his schedule and's just feeling way too guilty. What I would tell her is that it's okay and her baby still loves her and will always love her. Story two: Good Apple. Heard this one before and OMG OP needs to run because this family sucks and is scary. If this man stays, that girl is going to accuse him of something bad and he's gonna go to jail. Story three: I feel like perhaps you needed to reread this one lol. Good apple. He was a NEW guy and everyone doesn't like this person so...Also there really doesn't need to be a deeper meaning as to why someone may not like you lmao!!!! Story four: Heard this one too. Good apple. She just wanted to cheat on him, there was an update and she met a man and wanted to be with him for a while. OP was sick for a night of their trip and she met some dude who was "magical" for her lol.

Number one crabapple because he knows she’s emotional but again he just wants his kid to be happy and healthy and not stay up past nap time and etc.

"Your head won't explode, I promise" LMAO!! I've just had to step away from conversations from certain people on various SM when they get rude and "troll like" by name calling, block them and move on with my life. No time for that nonsense. :) I'm all about having open minded conversations with respect... have those all the time! :) #1 - I agree with Crabapple... it could have been handled better, but hindsight is 20/20 and his frustration shined thru. While she may be feeling out of sorts, she needs to hold to the schedule as best she can for the child's sake. #2 - He had every right to be upset, and I agree with you Rebecca #4 Beyond entitled and he needs new friends!

YESS APPLE PICKING DAYY ima listen while doing my homework lol, thanks for posting at the perfect time👍

Good apple for first story it’s obviously not a good thing to mess with the kids schedule for their well being

Story 2: OP is a good apple. Mom and daughter are bad apples. Daughter is a brat and playing the adults off each other. Mom is a bad apple for not treating OP as an equal in parenting the daughter. May not be his bio kid but when he marries Mom, those kids are part of the package and he needs to be able to parent them just like mom or they will walk all over him like the daughter is. If mom won’t allow OP to parent her kids then OP should rethink marriage with her because he will end up miserable having to put up with kids who don’t respect him.

Respecting the rules you set for your child Is crucial for your child

Happy AP Day Rebecca! I genuinely wanted to say thank you to you and your comment section for expanding my perspectives on a lot of these issues and stories that I never would have thought about so in depth if it wasnt for you guys! ❤ Really opened my eyes to a lot of new things.

Number two again goodapple because he wasn’t doing anything he was just trying to pick up his stepdaughter (that’s the right word) from school

For the first one - Night Shift can be incredibly difficult, even among functioning adults. My partner is a night shift employee, and the only way I ever even get to spend time with them is because I am on disability, and can interact with him on my good pain days. I know there are comments stating that she needs to "suck it up," but when you have a schedule that is not considered a "normal job" or a normal 9-5, it makes functioning in this world very difficult if not impossible at all. So I do agree with you about having a sit-down and a talk first to ensure that things can come to a middleground For number two - I do think there does need to be some...respect where step-parents are concerned. I'm saying this as a step-child whose been through it with both her parents, and a father that married his "mistress of 12 years"(he denies it, mother doesn't it's a whole thing and the reason for their divorce). While it's very hard as a step-child to accept new people in their life, it is also very important for the step-child to recognize that yes, these people aren't going anywhere and though you may not like them you can't get them arrested for something they did not do. Also it is very important to make the child feel like they're not forgotten about, and that may include the step-dad spending more time with her as well. Calling the cops on someone whose agreed to take care of you and doesn't abuse you is wrong.

Story 4: OP didn’t abandon her. Holy ****, the gf is outrageous. The audacity! He’s a good apple

Story 1: crab apple. Dad could have handled it better with Mom. Mom did need to know that she was hurting her child in the long run by not staying with a schedule when she is home with her child. Yeah it’s frustrating for dad but it will hurt both parents in the long run because the child will see that mom and dad aren’t a team and the child can play off the parents to get their way. I’ve watched it happen with friends who were like this and their kids were holy terrors where ever they went because they knew they could do whatever and which ever parent would discipline them the other parent would let them off the hook.

4 good apples.

I got four good apples. 1. I think this story is mainly just young parents who haven’t quite figured it all out yet, and it’s okay that they don’t have it all figured out. They just need to have a conversation about, okay, what can wife do to spend more time with Jay without breaking the agreed upon rules? Cause it’s not helpful to Jay to be tired and fussy because he didn’t take a nap or for him to be high on sugar, not to mention full before meals so he doesn’t actually get any good food throughout the day. If they have talked to each other and agreed on these rules, both parents need to uphold them. 2. Run my dude, run fast and far. Also, an update said that OP is a person of color while his Fiancé and Riley are white, meaning this could have had even worse consequences for him! I feel like that is an important piece of information that adds so much to the story (though I still would’ve said good apple and to run away if he were white or they were all the same race, but I digress). 3. Key word there is NEW boyfriend. This isn’t a partner she’s had for a while, and she thought she could invite him because they invited eight people and only seven could come. And yes, while I do think they should’ve sat down with Lily and told her why, I think they have every reason to not let the boyfriend come, especially since he makes NUMEROUS people uncomfortable. 4. What the heck? Who does that? That girlfriend is crazy and any and all friends who support her craziness in being mad at him are just as bad. Maybe HE should be the one taking this time to think about their relationship.

On the first story, your recommendation on how to approach it, was literally what the dad did. He didn't yell at her or snap at her in front of the kid. He put the kid down at the time the kid needed to be asleep anyway, and then explained to his wife that what she was doing was harmful. She started crying about hearing facts, which made him feel guilty. Kids need boundaries, teaching him that "mom is the fun parent" doesn't help him at all, it just builds resentment toward dad. Who is the one actually raising the kid. If the genders were flipped and it was dad pulling this shit no one would hesitate to say mom is in the right for calling him out on it.

School story: if I were the fiancé, I would say that the solution is to make an appointment for all three of them (mom, daughter, fiance) with the princepal, counselor, and school resource officer, and have the mom and daughter explain their mistakes, and introduce the fiancé, and make sure all proper paperwork is done to ensure he is on the list of approved pick up list, and until that happens, be unwilling to pick up the daughter from school.

with story 3, i dissagree with crab apple, and i think it shouldve been good apple for the girl uninviting lilly. for the fact this was a man she started dating just that week, and its not that they just didnt like him, but they stated he made the others uncomfortable. think about it, if you were going to go to a party and find out that someone you hardly know that makes you and everyone else feel uncomfortable, you probably wouldn’t want to go either. she also did not say her friend couldn’t come, just the boyfriend. she could have understood the others feelings and still came just by herself. she chose to decide she wasn’t going to go if he wasn’t.

Thank you for this I have had a really bad day today and this really helps me out

Happy Apple picking day! Love your channel Rebecca!

The second story I would not have blamed him if he did yell I forget stuff all the time and if I dropped the ball like that when my husband and I were engaged with my daughter I would have been apologizing profusely and my daughter would have been addressed with both of us. My kid was 7 when we got married but her biological father has never been involved never wanted to be. And your missing that she just got with this guy after they planned the party he is fresh doesn’t need to be invited

Just a suggestion with your well wishes (which I love that❤) but as a an Australian this comes about on a wendsday morning so that the well wishes has already passed. Is there away you could do some for a Wendsday on a Tuesday? Love you keep up the work ❤❤❤

Fourth story there was an update covered on another channel. The girlfriend met a dude and was hooking up with him during the trip

I have never been so early! So glad I got here to watch it!

Hi Rebecca how’s your Tuesday, bad apple day is the best day !!

Story 2. That girl needs the HARSHEST punishment for that! She could gave gotten him arrested or worse! This EASILY could have spiralled and ruined his life! I have personally seen false allegations like this ruin people's lives! So he is the good apple. P.s. I'm sorry, but I am struggling to figure out how the mom forgot to call. Wouldn't it be you call the office as soon as you hung up with your husband? This isn't a situation of "Take a number, i'll get back to you." This is a very important situation that needs your attention now. Im sorry i can not see a world where she couldn't take the 5 minutes to call the school immediately after the phone call with her husband.

Rebecca's eyebrows are so pretty

On the 2nd story, I think OP, as the victim of the daughter LYING to a police officer in an attempt to get someone innocent arrested, should at the very least have a say in her consequences. Her parents should also put the "fear of god" in their daughter against being some Karen who *illegally* (even if its not often enforced against Karens) defrauded/manipulated law enforcement to attack an innocent victim! The words "ashamed" & "disappointed" should be emphasized in their talks with her. Some kind of community service or studying related to victims of fraudulent statements to police AFTER, not AS a punishment, wouldn't be inappropriate to include. Such as watching documentaries or court cases where someone was imprisoned because a single "witness" lied on the stand & (hopefully) the "witness'" punishment for lying under oath & any reparations/apology. Or if its possible, volunteering time with the local Innocence Project or similar group.

OK for the 2 story honestly I would’ve just left the fiancé. He is very reasonably angry he could’ve gotten arrested. And she is claiming he’s overreacting? That’s not someone I’d want to be married to. This guy has a lot more patience than I ever could.

Happy Passover, Rebecca! Enjoy your Matza on your picnic.

#2 would have been my ex fiance, not my fiance

25:33 I now have a feeling what this weeks podcast episode will be

I like how she said she got 2 good apples and 2 bad apples but, it was 2 crab apples 😂😂😂

Hi I have never been this early to one of your videos before❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ love you and your work

1st Story--I'm going Good Apple for this reason. He put the kid to bed ONE HOUR after the kid's nap time. That's not her stretching the schedule to squeeze in more time. That's taking a shredder to the schedule, and you just can't do that with a young child. They need a lot of structure. Do I feel bad for the mom? Absolutely. But she needs to understand that her actions are doing actual harm to the child and her husband. Really, she's acting like the divorced weekend parent who never tells their kid no. And we all agree those people are bad parents. 2nd Story--There is so much very, very, very wrong about the whole situation. First, why in the hell isn't he on the list? They've been engaged for 3 months and dating for years. Unless the father is being a jerk about this to keep him off the list, that should have been fixed months ago. Second, the brat acting out is one thing, but she got very close to ruining that man's life for good. He's probably going to get looks if and when he does get on the list for the rest of the 12-year-old's time at that HS, much less the few years the 15-year-old has left there. She needs to be punished severely with a detailed explanation of why what she did was so horrific. And then he should have nothing to do with her ever again. No picking her up. No doing anything for her until she fully and earnestly apologizes. She doesn't have to like him, but when your first significant action is this, there will be a 2nd action if it isn't nipped in the bud. And you don't want your life used as a Lifetime Movie which is where she's headed. Good Apple. 3rd Story--Yeah, I agree with the others. You missed the timeline. She asked for the co-hosting before the girl started dating the guy no one likes. But the girl is a clear AH as it was one week in the relationship. That's way too early to be introducing him to her friends, much less taking him to a party with a bunch of women he doesn't know. She should have been told to step down as co-host (honestly, what had she done to that point other than be labeled co-host? No decorations or putting them up and too early to order the food more than likely). I'm going Good Apple regardless of why they don't like him. 4th Story--The title is completely misleading. He didn't abandon her. She had the ticket but wanted to stay for free. Oh, and you left out the part about WHY she wanted to stay. He stayed in one night while she went out partying. And met an Italian man she wanted to have fun with to see if that guy was the one instead of the man she'd been with for 2 years and paid for her to go to Italy for 2 years. Easy Good Apple

Story 2: not a parent, but I am a child of divorce whose parents both got remarried when I was 15. I didn’t always get along with my stepmom or stepdad as a teenager, but I cannot IMAGINE pulling a stunt like Riley did. That’s completely unacceptable. Accusing someone of being a predator can follow them around forever, regardless of whether or not he’s guilty. It’s not something to joke about! He had every right to raise his voice at his fiancée- like you said, normal discipline should 100% be between the two bio parents, but they’re not handling it seriously at all and that’s notttt ok.

My son tells the bus drivers thankyou every day they tell me he is the sweetest kid on the bus but sometimes he just really needs his headphones. I’m about to buy him some loops for kids

Story 3: I agree with Rebecca! If this is the worst case scenario, and he’s a bad guy, this is part of how abusers work-they get their victim to cut ties with the other people in their life. If you have a friend and you’re worried their partner isn’t treating them well, one of the most important things is making sure it’s never in question whether their support system is there for them or not. If you think your friend’s boyfriend makes fun of her too much, you sit down with her and say, “Hey, I’m just worried that whenever we’re together, he says stuff about you that feels unkind to me, and I want you to know that you don’t deserve to be treated that way.” You DON’T say, “You’re not invited to the party anymore!” I personally would go bad apple here.

can we make an laugh apple? BC I FOUND IT SO FUNNY HOW SHE WAS LIKE "ya i'm trying to have my eat pray love moment but i expect you to pay for this even though we'll be separated" LIKE THATS A FUNNY APPLE A LAUGH APPLE TOO UNSERIOUS😭😂

I've heard the last story before, apparently in an update it OP finds out that his girlfriend cheated on him with a local guy during the trip and wanted to stay to continue being with the other man. Needless to say, they broke up

In story two, I don’t agree with leaving the stepdad out of the discipline aspect of the parenting. The teenager will never learn to respect him if the mom and dad don’t get on board. If that kid is so good at manipulating people around her to get what she wants, it’s only going to get worse. And why couldn’t the mom call the dad, why is the step dad NOT on the approved pick up list, and why is the mom ok with leaving him out of the big discipline talks? 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩run

Love your vids

7:14 it REALLY depends on the kid, some kids really need structure and routine and others are able to shake things up every once in a while. I think they should have talked before scolding but naps are important for young kids.

Story #1, if they agreed to the rules and restrictions together, then she knows already, and doesn't need to have a big sit-down conversation. He didn't start the conversation in question, she did, when she asked "what was that about?" With an agitated tone. Yes, he should have brought it to her attention earlier, as this was building up, but he was just eating the chaos she was delivering over and over, to try to let her have that time. He got snippy, after having been snapped at.

I'm always interested in what stories you change your mind on. Maybe you should do an Apple Update.

For story 1. Every kid is different so with Dad being primary caregiver he will know his own kid best. If structure and schedule works for Jay he needs to sit down with Mom and explain that to her. Write out a schedule and stick it on the wall. That being said: I have a 4yo with ADHD. For him strict schedules with set times for everything do not work. What works for him is routine. Eg he wakes up, gets dressed, eats breakfast, brushes teeth. Having those things follow each other without a time attached works because he knows that after breakfast he brushes his teeth but sometimes he can take 45 mins to eat because he gets distracted or plays with his food but when he is finished he goes and brushes. Rules MUST be consistent though. In my house we have a "no screen time before preschool" rule because that only distracted him and caused him to not want to go to school. My husband allowed tv one morning before he went to work and left me to get the kid to school. Naturally kid pitched a fit when i turned it off and he didnt want me to. So i took a video of him crying and yelling for the tv and sent it to my husband with a message of "this is why he doesnt get tv" it never happened again. Kids get confused very quickly when the rules change, they have big feelings and they dont know how to express them without a tantrum. Keeping consistent boundaries allows the child to be secure in their home, know right from wrong, and allow them to know where things stand. Dad needs to talk to his wife calmly and without Jay around to communicate what goes wrong when the boundaries dont get enforced. I spoke to my husband a few times about the tv before resorting to the vid. He didnt understand so i had to show him. Maybe that something this Dad needs to do too. But he needs to try communicate clearly first. Sorry for the novel.

First story: For how important structure is, it really depends on the kid. But it does sound like the kiddo did need his nap. What I didn’t like was how the OP made the problem into an adversarial one instead of a mutual one. Like, “You’re worried about how your job is affecting your relationship with our son. What can we do together to make sure that bond stays strong?” Instead he made it about himself… he seemed more concerned about having to be the strict one than anything else. He could also put more effort into facilitating his wife’s time with their son, like, inviting mommy into the pillow fort.

From a child physiology perspective and as a child who has been in a similar situation, I think Riely in story 2 sees the stepdad as a threat and is potentially trying to get rid of said threat. I think when self-advocacy didn't work, she resorted to more extreme measures. I think mum, dad and stepdad need to have a talk to Riely and maybe involve a therapist because kids, in my experience, don't do that 'as a prank'. I'm sure there are plenty that do, but this is my experience.

Story 4: Good Apple; there was an update and she expected him to pay for her hotel for that week too, because she’d met someone she wanted to hook up with while there. Like, she wanted him to pay for her to cheat on OP!

For story 4, I know we normally try to avoid assumptions outside what's said in the story but... run dude! It's not even that she wants you to pay for her to chill in Italy without you while she contemplates dumping you, I'm willing to take the bet that she's found someone in Italy she wants to hook up with and she just needs to get you out of the way to make it easier to cheat on you all while you're still bankrolling her foreign affair.

Story 2: mom did good for punishing the kid, stepdad did bad for losing his temper. However, neither is the bad apple. The kid is. Stepdad needs to think about if he wants to marry into a family where Riley will try to get him in trouble. Riley is a danger to him

Also extra on the fourth story. Its revealed that the girlfriend was cheating on him with someone who she met on their trip.

Here before this blows up ❤️

Story 1: Crab Apple; it’s not that what was said is a problem, but it’s the delivery.

Story 2: Sir please RUN, playing like that could have gotten you locked up. What else will she play prank on you? Depending on your job getting arrested could cause serious issue. Nah I would be gone.

Consistency is very important for children, having a schedule and parents being consistent with each other is highly beneficial. One parent being strict and the other being very lenient is not good for the child at all, so the mom breaking the schedule and being super lenient was definitely not doing any good for the child, and not just making things difficult for the father. However we can be empathetic to how she feels and why she's breaking the rules they agreed on, even if that doesnt make it okay. They needed to find a more calm, quiet moment to have an adult conversation about the problem. I don’t think either of them are a bad apple, but they could have communicated better and tried to look for a better solution together.

Story 3: I've been seeing people talk about the missed detail of Lily trying to change plans after they had already set everything up but I was more thinking that OP should be concerned for her friend. If multiple people are getting bad vibes from the boyfriend I think it would be smart to keep an eye on that situation. Cuz if the friend with pressure to leave she probably just ditch her friends. And if the other friends and OP are misconstrued about the guy just monitoring the situation could possibly be the best option. I'm definitely going to go good apple if not maybe crap apple.

Story 1: firstly, dad’s concerns are reasonable. Secondly, I totally understand the mother in this situation. I’m the working mum and missing them is hard - especially when a lot of my mum friends get to be stay at home parents and it seems to highlight my absence and what I’m missing. OP went about this the wrong way. I agree crab apple.

She wanted to 'explore' Italians too...