Woman refuses to cook for her stepkids after they started criticising her dishes

Being a step-mum isn't easy, and one woman may know that better than anybody.

This anonymous stepmother, who goes by Dina, took to Reddit to reveal why she'd stopped cooking for her two stepchildren.

Dina would usually whip up some food for her 16-year-old stepdaughter and 15-year-old stepson twice a day - for breakfast and lunch.

However, she found that her efforts were not being appreciated.

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Writing on Reddit, Dina lamented: "I try to make them healthy food and spend time with them but they have been nothing but critical.

"They make faces, make fun of the dishes I cooked and compare them to their mum's cooking in a manner which is really hurtful. They just don't seem to care."

The straw that broke the camel's back?

When they scoffed down one of Dina's meals only when their father reheated it for them, presumably not aware that she'd cooked it.

Dina wrote: "My bonus children are giving me to cold shoulder and it hurts.

"I don't expect them to make me a mother's day card or call me mum, I never expected that. However, I just want them to treat me with respect."

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Deciding that enough was enough, Dina put her foot down - and her frying pan.

Even still, she's worried about the potential fallout that will come from her refusing to sweat over a stove for her ungrateful teens.

Dina said: "I fear this will further alienate them but at the same time, my mental health has improved and I do not dread mornings anymore.

"My husband wants me to be the adult here. But I want to teach them that they have to respect the people in their lives even if they dislike them."

In an update, Dina revealed that some progress had been made.

A few weeks into her cooking strike, Dina's dad received a serious medical diagnosis.

It was during this stressful period that Dina's stepdaughter found her crying in her room.

The girl apologised to her stepmother for freezing her out, claiming that they were worried they'd be sent to live with their biological mum full-time.

"I told her that even though we may not get on all the time, I always missed them when they were at their mother's and the house would feel empty without them here," Dina recalled.

"After this conversation, things are better now. I won't say we are doing fine all the time but we are doing much better than before."