Originally Posted by
Ariesagain 
Sending you a hug.
You ARE being strong...but you're human. Your daughter needs honesty more than anything. She needs to know that this is all him and she didn't cause any of it. She needs to know you are putting her first.
Life frequently sucks. Watching you handling that reality head-on is the best lesson you can give her, yes?
Be kind to yourself, best you can.
Maybe at the very least my kids are seeing the destruction of a person that drugs can cause. Maybe it will make them less likely to pick anything dangerous up. Yeah, maybe it does help her to see me dealing with the reality of it. She loves him and feels badly that he's suffering, but she totally understands that all of this is his fault. I hugged her and told her I was sorry that she was having to deal with this situation and she told me "It's not your fault, Mom! This is his fault.". I'm kind of glad my step-niece told them right up front. I didn't have to decide whether or not to be 100% honest with them. That decision was made for me and I just rolled with it.