The 30-year-old shared that she has been in her stepdaughter’s life for eight years, but the girl’s recent behavior has come in between them. Taking to popular Subreddit “Am I The A**hole,” the stepmom explained that she suffers from diabetes and food allergies, making purchasing foods she can actually eat hard and expensive.

According to a 2013 investigation, food allergies cost the average American family over $4,000 per year, making up of doctors visits, epi-pens and alternative foods. So much so that the allergy food industry has boomed even more in recent years as people have a heightened awareness, expected to reach $161.3 billion by 2026. This is something that the stepdaughter is aware of, she added.

The stepmom’s favorite meal that meets her dietary requirements is a specific burrito and an alternative version of Sprite, both of which she said are highly priced.

“I caught my stepdaughter eating and drinking both multiple times and had to sit down and tell her that I didn’t want her eating those, as they were expensive and for me specifically and offered to buy her the regular brand of the same items,” wrote the woman.

“She said yes, so I went out and bought them for her, just to find that she was still eating mine and not touching hers. I asked her why several times and she shrugged her shoulders and walked off, saying ‘I don’t see why it’s a big deal, it’s just food’ and rolled her eyes.”

After alerting her husband to the situation, who spoke to his daughter himself, it seemed to work itself out with everything seeming “fine” to the stepmom.

“However, I just bought the burrito and knock-off organic sprite again yesterday. I went to go get myself some around 10pm, when my step-daughter was supposed to be in bed,” she updated. " The entire liter was gone. I couldn’t find it anywhere. So I go into my stepdaughters room and she is sitting with not only the sprite in her lap, but two burritos as well. This is when I noticed everything else.. my green tea sitting on the floor and my meal containers that I had packed for work under her bed and on her dresser."

Upset by this, the stepmom told the 10-year-old that she was “disappointed and repulsed that someone could lack that much respect and empathy for another individual.” She was however met with anger from her husband, who said he was worried about her developing anxiety around eating now.

Despite the husband’s response, Reddit users unanimously sided with the stepmom, supporting her decision but simultaneously raised concern for the child.

“Not the a**hole, but this is family therapy time not AMITA time. Something is up with a 10 year old hoarding food, especially just your food. No need to put up with it but sounds like you’ll need a therapist to work with her,” advised one user, who gained over 18,000 votes on their comment.

“You didn’t yell at her. You told her you were disappointed. If she cried, that’s on her. She probably really did feel bad. I think all three of you need to sit down and talk about this though. There’s clearly something else going on with her for her to suddenly be acting out like this. Most kids don’t just suddenly switch to this behavior for no reason,” agreed another user.

“At the very least, you and hubby need to talk because while I understand his concerns that his daughter might develop an eating disorder, your health can’t be compromised in your own home, and your stepdaughter has been more than adequately cared for what with you buying her versions of the foods she’s been stealing for her to eat.”

Another user noted: “It sounds like your stepdaughter is testing you, pushing boundaries. It would be pretty common behavior at that age. She may or may not realize that’s what she’s doing.”

In an update, the stepmom shared that she has spoken to her pediatrician about the ongoing issue and enrolled her in therapy.

Newsweek reached out to u/jazman0917 for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.