I always thought family vacations were about creating special memories and bonding, but I never imagined it would all blow up like this. My husband booked an expensive cruise for our family—just him, me, and our 2-year-old son—and I was looking forward to it, thinking it would be the perfect getaway. But then my 17-year-old stepdaughter, who’s been living with us for the past few years, made things a lot more complicated.

Before we even started planning, I told her she could join us, but only if she earned her spot by helping out more around the house. It wasn’t anything crazy—I just wanted her to pitch in since she spends so much time on her phone and doesn’t do much else. I thought it was fair. I mean, it’s an expensive trip, and if she wanted to go, she needed to show she was contributing in some way. But the moment I brought it up, she stormed off, accusing me of treating her like a servant. I was honestly shocked by her reaction, but I stood my ground and said, “Fine, then stay home.”

Fast forward to the night before we leave, and I’m packing, stressed out but still excited. Just hours before we’re supposed to leave, I walk into my son’s room to grab something for his bag and find my stepdaughter in there, packing her own bags. I asked her what she was doing, and she told me, “I’m coming. I figured if I have to deal with you, I might as well make the most of it.” I couldn’t believe it. She had told me she wasn’t coming, so I asked her why she changed her mind. She told me that her dad had bought her a plane ticket for the cruise the moment I told her she couldn’t come unless she did housework. Apparently, he didn’t agree with my request and thought I was being “too hard on her.”

I was furious. I felt completely blindsided. Here I am, doing everything for this trip, and now I’m stuck dealing with my husband undercutting my decisions. He knows I’ve been trying to teach her responsibility, but he just swooped in and “saved” her. We ended up arguing right there in the hallway, and I told him it wasn’t fair that I was the one handling everything, and he was letting her get away with it. Now, she’s coming on the trip, and I just know it’s going to be tense and awkward.

My husband thinks I’m being unreasonable and that I should just drop it, but I feel completely disrespected. I’m still angry that he enabled her behavior and didn’t support me. So now I’m left wondering—was I wrong for standing my ground and making her earn her place on the cruise? Or should I have just let it go and avoided all this drama?