Melania, a 36-year-old mother, recently reached out for help with a difficult situation involving her 4-year-old daughter and her ex-husband’s new girlfriend, Kayla, 33. Although Melania’s divorce two years ago wasn’t the main issue, concerns over Kayla’s influence on her daughter, Leah, have left her deeply troubled.

Leah often visits her father and Kayla, whom she likes, but recently, Melania discovered something alarming. After a visit, Leah refused food, saying, “Mommy, the food you’re feeding me is bad. It will make me go fat one day, Kayla says.” Shocked, Melania probed further and found out that Kayla had been making frequent comments about Leah’s weight and food choices, implying that Melania’s care was inadequate.

Melania confronted her ex-husband and Kayla, who defended her remarks as being for Leah’s benefit, even accusing Melania of poor parenting. Kayla claimed she was trying to prevent Leah from becoming overweight like Melania. Her ex-husband supported Kayla’s statements, leaving Melania feeling isolated and unsure.

Now, Melania faces a tough decision: should she restrict Leah’s visits to protect her from Kayla’s harmful remarks, or allow the visits, knowing it may affect Leah’s perception of herself and her mother?