A stepmum is questioning whether she overstepped by picking up her 10-year-old stepdaughter after she got her first period at school, even though the girl’s mother told her not to.

The 24-year-old stepmum, is six-months pregnant with her first baby. Her husband shares a daughter with his ex-wife. She explained she adores her stepdaughter and sees her as her own, but also tries to keep respectful boundaries and not get too involved with discipline.

But she says a recent situation has her second guessing herself.

“My stepdaughter was at school when she called my husband saying she had really bad stomach pain,” she told an online forum. “She went to the bathroom and noticed blood, and my husband immediately realised she had started her period. He was stuck at work and couldn’t leave, and her mum wasn’t answering calls at first. I was home, and I’m also on the school’s approved pickup list.

“I told my husband I’d be happy to go get her if he wanted, since she was clearly uncomfortable. Then her mum finally called back, and things got tense. She said this was ‘a matter between her and her real mother’ and that it was a ‘special moment’ she didn’t want to miss.”

After explaining that the girl was in pain and bleeding, her mother added, ‘ well she’ll have to tough it out and use toilet paper until I can get there’.

“Her mum kept insisting she didn’t want me involved and said something along the lines of, ‘you’ll understand when your baby arrives and you become a mum… talk to me when your child has an important life event’. That comment honestly stung.

“Then my stepdaughter called me crying, saying she needed pain meds. The school had given her pads, but she just wanted to go home and rest. Hearing her like that really got to me. My husband told me to go ahead and pick her up.

“So I did. I signed her out, got her ibuprofen and ginger ale, and brought her home. She took the meds and rested and was doing much better.”

Five hours later, the girl’s mum phoned, furious that her daughter had been picked up by her stepmother.

“She said the school could’ve handled it, that my stepdaughter missed her after-school program, and accused me of trying to ‘be a better mum than her’. She also said we had an agreement about boundaries.

“I told her I wasn’t trying to replace her, but that her daughter was in pain for hours and is now feeling better, which should be what matters. She responded with, ‘you parent your kid, I’ll parent mine’ and hung up.

“Now I’m stuck wondering if I overstepped. My husband says I did nothing wrong and that he’s glad I helped, especially since I understand what painful periods can be like. But her mum’s words are really getting to me.”

Do you think she did the right thing? Or did she cross the line? Share your opinion in the comments below.