I teach French at a university and have two stepchildren, ages 12 and 14. Recently, their mom asked me to teach them French at home after my work hours. I told her honestly, “I’m not a free teacher—my job is already exhausting.” She snapped back, “What kind of stepmom are you?” My husband, to my shock, said nothing.
The next day, I walked into my room and found a note waiting for me: “You’re not a free teacher, and this is not a free house.” When I confronted my husband, he said that if I expected to be “paid” to teach his kids, then I should pay rent for living in his house. I tried to reason with him, saying, “You own the house—it’s not a rental,” but he just smirked.
A month later, I discovered something even worse: my husband had been secretly using my savings to hire private tutors for his children. When I confronted him, he admitted it and coldly said, “If you won’t help them, someone has to.”
That was the breaking point. I packed my things and went to stay with a friend. Now I keep asking myself—did I make the right choice walking away, or did I overreact and should have just taught them from the start?