Norma has been overwhelmed ever since her 16-year-old stepdaughter, Amy, moved in after losing her mother. Amy announced she was vegan on day one, and Norma respected that — until her husband insisted she cook separate vegan meals “because Amy has suffered enough.” Already cooking daily for the family, Norma refused and told Amy she could make her own food if she didn’t like what was served. That comment sparked tension neither of them expected.

The next day, Norma discovered her 5-year-old daughter refusing dinner after Amy told her that eating meat was “gross” and would make her “smell bad and get sick.” Shocked and hurt, Norma confronted Amy, who brushed it off as “just playing.” But when Norma told her husband, instead of addressing Amy’s behavior, he defended her and warned that if she kept “making Amy feel unwelcome,” he would take his daughter and leave.

Feeling pushed out of her own home, Norma stopped speaking to both of them. Her husband now cooks vegan meals for himself and Amy and even invites the younger kids to join them, leaving Norma feeling isolated and disrespected. She knows Amy is grieving, but she also believes that grief doesn’t excuse undermining her authority or influencing her 5-year-old against her.

Now Norma is torn — unsure whether standing her ground makes her the villain, or whether she’s simply fighting to keep her place in her own family as dynamics continue to shift around her.