My girlfriend’s daughter told me I’m not her real dad and have no authority over her

The $300 Request and the Breaking Point

My girlfriend’s daughter told me I’m not her real dad and have no authority over her. So was I wrong for telling her to ask her real dad for money instead of me?

Hello Reddit, I plus here. All right, so here’s what happened.

I’ve been with Rachel for six years now. Her daughter Mia was ten when I came into the picture and she’s sixteen now.

And let me tell you, parenting a teenager is no joke. I’ve done everything for this girl.

I’ve been been there for school drop offs, late night talks when she was upset, paying for things she needed, all of it. Her real dad, nowhere to be found.

No child support, no phone calls, no visits. Just a name on a birth certificate.

Now, I’ve never tried to force Mia to see me as her dad. I know I’m not her biological father.

But I thought we had at least built some kind of relationship over the years. Turns out I was wrong.

So the other day she comes up to me and asks for $300 for some school trip. Now money’s tight.

Not to the point where we’re struggling, but tight enough that I can’t just throw around $300 without talking it over with Rachel first.

So I tell Mia, “Hey, I’m not saying no but we need to figure it out with your mom.”

Apparently that was the worst thing I could have said. She gets all huffy and snaps, “You always say that. Just give me the money.”

And I try to stay calm. “Mia, I just need to check with your mom first. We have a budget.”

And that’s when she cuts me off with, “You’re not my real dad. You don’t get to decide what I do.”

“You don’t have any real authority over me, so just forget it.” And something inside me just snapped.

I don’t know if it was all the years of stepping up while her real dad did nothing. Or if I was just tired of being treated like an ATM.

But before I could stop myself, I said, “All right. If I’m not your real dad, then go ask your real dad for the money.”