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Bretzky
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This week at Safeway and Albertsons. Six to 16 ounce selected varieties of strawberries, raspberries or blackberries are $1.99 each. Limit three member price with coupon and extra meaty pork back ribs or St. Louis style spare ribs. Bone in, previously frozen are $2.99 per pound. Limit four member price with coupon plus medium avocados, colored bell peppers or English cucumbers sold by the each or tomatoes on the vine or sweet onions sold by the pound are 99 cents. Member price. Visit safewayoralbertsons.com for more deals and ways to save.
Commercial Announcer
You're on the Burt Show.
Host
We have talked to Tina twice. This was the first time we talked to her.
Tina (Stepmother)
Our oldest child is 11 and hasn't been performing well at school and has been lying to us and is actually potentially going to fail. And so we are using it as a threat. But. And you know, her dad and I discussed and of course it'll be me the one who actually has to pull the trigger on it. So it would be the mom decision to cancel Christmas. Fortunately, our other two children are small enough that they won't really know because they're only 16 months old.
Host
All right. So we called her to try to get an update on exactly if she was. I mean, that's a pretty serious threat, definitely.
Co-host/Commentator
Well, her daughter, her stepdaughter had been through a drastic change, right? It was only a couple of months before she was showing this kind of behavior.
Host
She was getting good grades, and then all of a sudden, everything goes south. So we talked to her right before Christmas to see if she was really serious about doing this right? And this is what she told us.
Tina (Stepmother)
I was very frustrated because I am the stepmother and it's okay with me if she hates me. If it means that she's gonna grow up to be a successful, happy, healthy child, then I'm okay with that. We took back her Christmas and told her that we expected to see immediate change. And she got very, very upset that night. Just.
Co-host/Commentator
Just save that.
Tina (Stepmother)
I don't believe it's just a grade Thing I do believe there's. Yeah, I mean, obviously something deeper.
Host
So after we talked to her, a whole bunch of you guys called up, and I think Jen even said, something's going on here. You. You didn't say the word abuse, but you were thinking something was going on?
Co-host/Commentator
Well, it seemed like there had to be some sort of outside cause for such a drastic change in behavior so quickly. And we were just, you know, we were just suggesting maybe get her into counseling, get her to, you know, talk to somebody that she feels comfortable talking to. Because it just seems so out of character for this young girl to completely change and so young. I mean, she's only 11. Like, if she were, like, 14 or 15 and just being an obnoxious teenager, then I don't know. That kind of comes with being 14 and 15, but it doesn't come with being 11.
Host
No.
Co-host/Commentator
You know.
Host
Well, here's the update that we got from Tina, and she couldn't come on with us, but she sent us this email, and it says, I'm so sorry, Tracy, but I'm out of state for work for the next few weeks. I can share that we did take the Burt show advice and began looking for possible causes to my stepdaughter's sudden change in attit. The end result was we were not able to find any abuse or fear that was causing the sudden lack of interest. And there's no evidence of drug and. Or alcohol use. Our daughter, who felt very uncomfortable with all of our investigating, which we did not care about, finally yelled at us and said, no one is hurting me or trying to hurt me, and if someone was to ever try, I know you would protect me, so I would tell you first. And I swear I'm not doing drugs. And she says, I just have an attitude problem. An email can. Yeah, she even said it. I'm just. Yeah, I'm just kind of crappy right now. An email can properly display all of the emotions involved, but all parties, including third parties, that were checking on this, are convinced that she is telling the truth and are actually relieved that we are only dealing with an attitude problem. Thank you all so much for your suggestion and concern. There can't be too many guardian angels watching over a child. And there's no reason to ever avoid going further into investigating your child's safety and health. At least they will know for all the years ahead that you're willing to go as far as it takes to protect them from themselves and others. God bless you all and have a great new year.
Co-host/Commentator
Wow.
Well, I'm glad she saw it. Third party help though. I mean that's great on her part trying to protect her stepdaughter and the
Host
third party sounds like she either hired an investigator or something like that. But the update is they didn't find anything at all. So it's just a crappy attitude from an 11 year old.
Co-host/Commentator
I mean that's good news. But that's surprising to me. It's like I almost don't want to still believe it.
Host
I don't know why. You got yeah, yeah. So she believes it and the investigators believe it. So there's your update for all you guys that were emailing, Listen, it's the vert show.
Bretzky
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This week at Safeway and Albertsons 6 to 16 ounce selected varieties of strawberries, raspberries or blackberries are $1.99 each limit 3 member price with coupon and extra meaty pork back ribs or St. Louis style spareribs. Bone in previously frozen are $2.99 per pound limit four member price with coupon plus medium avocados, colored bell peppers or English cucumber by the each or tomatoes on the vine or sweet onions sold by the pound are $0.99 member price. Visit Safeway or Albertsons.com for more deals and ways to save.
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Episode Date: June 3, 2026
In this episode, the Bert Show revisits the emotional story of Tina, a stepmom deeply concerned about her 11-year-old stepdaughter’s abrupt change in behavior, poor school performance, and dishonesty. The episode follows Tina’s struggle with implementing a drastic parental consequence—canceling Christmas—as well as her commitment to investigating the root cause of her stepdaughter’s difficulties. The hosts offer support and advice, and the update reveals what Tina discovered after seeking professional help and looking deeper into her stepdaughter’s life.
"Our oldest child is 11 and hasn't been performing well at school and has been lying to us...so it would be the mom decision to cancel Christmas." – Tina (01:07)
"I am the stepmother and it's okay with me if she hates me. If it means that she's gonna grow up to be a successful, happy, healthy child, then I'm okay with that." – Tina (02:00)
"It seemed like there had to be some sort of outside cause for such a drastic change in behavior...we were just suggesting maybe get her into counseling..." – Co-host (02:37)
"[She] finally yelled at us and said, ‘No one is hurting me or trying to hurt me, and if someone was to ever try, I know you would protect me, so I would tell you first...I just have an attitude problem.'" – Tina (via email, 03:06)
"Well, I'm glad she sought third party help though. I mean that's great on her part, trying to protect her stepdaughter..." – Co-host (04:35)
"It's okay with me if she hates me. If it means that she's gonna grow up to be successful, happy, and healthy." – Tina (02:00)
"There can't be too many guardian angels watching over a child. And there's no reason to ever avoid going further into investigating your child's safety and health." – Tina (email, 03:06)
"Well, I'm glad she sought third-party help though. I mean that's great on her part..." – Co-host (04:35)
"That's good news. But it's surprising to me. It's like I almost don't want to still believe it." – Co-host (04:50)
This episode highlights the real-world complexities of blended families and parenting through challenging adolescent behavior. The Bert Show community rallies with empathy, offering support and practical advice for navigating sudden changes in a child’s demeanor. The episode ultimately affirms the necessity of thorough, compassionate investigation when a child is struggling—and the importance of not shying away from “overreacting” when safety and wellbeing are at stake.
The hosts maintain an understanding, reassuring tone while blending real talk with empathy and humor. Listeners are left with a reminder about the importance of advocating for children's safety, trusting parental instincts, and how sometimes what appears to be a dramatic, mysterious shift is, at least occasionally, “just attitude.”
For more discussions or to participate in future episodes, visit www.thebertshow.com