“Amy’s Secret Life”
I’m 37, and I have a stepdaughter, Amy, who’s 16. We’ve always had a pretty good relationship—occasional teen attitude, sure, but nothing out of the ordinary.
A few weeks ago, Amy accidentally left her expensive earbuds in the pocket of her sweatpants, and they went through the wash. Of course, they were ruined. She was upset, and her dad and I told her we understood, but if she wanted the same expensive pair again, she’d need to save up from her part-time job. We even offered to buy her a cheaper pair in the meantime, but she turned her nose up at them.
She left for the weekend to stay at her mom’s. When she came back on Sunday, she had the exact earbuds she wanted. We assumed her mom caved and bought them. Then came the designer clothes. A whole set of name-brand makeup. Then, a brand-new top-tier laptop. All in just a few weeks.
Red flags.
My husband called his ex-wife and, as politely as he could, asked if maybe she could tone down the gifts. Not only were they excessive, but Amy’s grades had recently started dropping, and she was getting called out for being distracted and disruptive in class.
His ex’s response?
> “What are you talking about? I didn’t buy her any of that.”
We both just stared at each other after he hung up. If her mom didn’t buy any of it, and we definitely didn’t—then who did?
We sat Amy down that night. At first, she rolled her eyes and acted like we were just being “nosy” or “controlling,” but when we told her her mom hadn’t bought any of it, the color drained from her face.
She knew the lie was up.
After a long silence, she finally confessed.
**She’d been selling feet pictures online.**
Our jaws hit the floor.
Apparently, a few girls at her school had been making money that way. Amy made a fake name, fake age, and started uploading filtered photos to a sketchy platform someone had recommended. And people—creepy, faceless strangers—were *paying her*.
She made hundreds in just a couple of weeks. Enough to splurge on everything she wanted without asking anyone.
We were horrified. Not just because of what she’d been doing, but because of *who* she was exposing herself to. These weren’t harmless transactions—this was exploitation waiting to happen.
We immediately shut everything down. All her devices were inspected, the accounts deleted, passwords changed, and we got her into counseling. She lost internet privileges outside of supervised schoolwork, and her job hours were reduced so she could focus on therapy and school.
It wasn’t about punishment—it was about *protecting* her.
I’ll never forget what she whispered through tears that night:
> “I just wanted to feel like I could have nice things too. Everyone else does.”
That broke me.
We realized we had to not only reinforce boundaries—but also teach her where *true value* comes from.
She’s getting better now. Slowly. We’re rebuilding trust and helping her understand her worth isn’t tied to brands or fake attention online.
And as for us?
We learned just how fast the world moves when you’re not watching—and how important it is to *always* stay close, even when they push you away.