Real Housewives of Orange County
Meghan King Edmonds struggled with her desire to be both a parent and friend to 17-year-old step-daughter Haley Edmonds (Not pictured) on Season 10 episode 7 of "The Real Housewives of Orange County." (From left to right: Vicki Gunvalson, Tamra Judge, Heather Dubrow, Shannon Beador, Meghan King Edmonds) Bravo/"The Real Housewives of Orange County"

Newcomer Meghan King Edmonds' storyline took center stage during Season 10, episode 7 of "The Real Housewives of Orange County." In previous episodes the 30-year-old has been portrayed as the "cool step-mom" to husband Jim Edmonds' eldest daughter Hayley. Unfortunately it seems their friendship may be causing a rift in their mother-daughter relationship.

The episode kicked of with Megan having a sit-down with Hayley about school. The 17-year-old was participating in an independent study program, which required her to physically show up to the public school sponsoring the program once a week. After learning of her failure to do so, Meghan attempted to sit Hayley down to have a heart-to-heart about the importance of attendance, good grades and graduation. Sadly the conversation was lost on Hayley, who later lied about completing an in-depth assignment on the stock market. Upon finding out, Meghan broke down and began questioning her abilities as a parent. During her one-on-one confessional interview, the "RHOC" rookie shared with viewers her frustrations, saying she had tried time and time again to get Jim to step in, but to no avail.

Meghan opened up about her struggles to be a parent in her Bravo TV blog after the episode. In the post, she wrote that she was actively "trying to assert myself appropriately in my stepmom role." She went on to discuss her shortcomings as a parent, acknowledging that giving Hayley a hefty $100 a week allowance after lecturing her about her lack of drive in school was a mistake. She begged the question to her readers, "how do I find a middle ground?" before tackling something Vicki Gunvalson had said about her during the episode.

"And finally to Vicki: No, Vicki, I am not doing a great job with Hayley. I am failing miserably," she wrote. "I have no clue what I am doing but I am trying my hardest because I love Hayley and I want her to succeed."

The episode wasn't all sad, fortunately. Following the tragic news of Vicki's mother's passing in episode 5, the ladies decided to escape the stresses of their everyday lives for a fun-filled bowling outing -- "Real Housewives" style. If you thought the ladies of the O.C. were going to ditch their expensive heels and fancy alcohol for bowling shoes and cheap beer, you'd be wrong. Vicki, Meghan, Tamra Judge, Heather Dubrow and Shannon Beador spent the evening laughing, sipping fancy cocktails (Collette Champenoise, perhaps?) and bowling before heading to an equally fun and fancy dinner.

After Heather ordered for everyone -- yes, that really happened -- Vicki dropped some exciting news on the crew. She and the O.C. "Housewives" are headed to Tahiti for yet another amazing "Real Housewives" vacation. We can only hope the ladies are able to check their emotional baggage and drama long enough to enjoy the trip. Previews for the trip don't look too promising, however.

"The Real Housewives of Orange County" airs Mondays at 9 p.m. EDT on Bravo. Check out a preview of next week's episode below.

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