Half Step In-Laws

Waiting for my new glasses this evening, I overheard the following conversation:

man behind counter: hello, how can I help you?

customer: yeah, I was wondering if my glasses were in.

mbc: what was the name?

c: says name

mbc: no, I'm sorry they're not in yet, we'll call when they're ready.

c: okay, wasn't sure, my stepdaughter answered the phone and then just hung up, I thought it might be you calling.


First, I must confess that the man who entered inquiring about his glasses was someone I know, at least by name, and I'm aware of his home situation. He does not know me, and I was seated with my back toward the counter. I thought it was so odd that he referred to the girl, his wife's daughter from a previous relationship, so specifically as his stepdaughter. Not just odd, but a little sad. He and the girl's mother have been married for five years and were together for some time before that. This man is really the only father she has known, her biological father is not involved in her life. Yet in the most banal of conversations he calls her his stepdaughter rather than his daughter. Maybe it's just out of habit. Maybe he does it to make a point on a regular basis that he is not related by blood to this child that shares his home along with two younger siblings and his wife. I wonder if he clearly refers to her half siblings in a way that lets everyone know that they are indeed his biological issue. I wonder how his wife and her firstborn feel about it. Maybe it's just me reading too much into a brief, businesslike exchange of information. It seems to me that at times it is necessary to clarify your relationship to a family member when referring to them. To avoid confusion or when mentioning names isn't specific enough. But in this case, I would have thought that by now she would have earned the title of daughter, with no steps of separation.