My mother-in-law is a wonderful, caring, nurturing woman. She would give you the shirt off her back in a heartbeat. To boot, she’s never met a stranger – can you imagine what kind of love that means for those of us in her family? Indescribable. But one day she said something so offensive I couldn’t even comprehend it. It wasn’t […]
I love my family. My husband is thoughtful, helpful, and has the patience of a saint. My stepdaughter is full of joy, silly jokes, and cure-all hugs. My in-laws are kind, accepting, and understanding. But despite all of the love and happiness, there’s also a lot of darkness. Why I Don’t Want My Daughter to […]
My best friend is my stepdaughter’s mom. Yep, you read that right. What’s the question that follows that confession every single time? “How in the world did you get to that point?!” My biggest recommendation for helping other stepmoms replicate our relationship is to develop a strong sense of self and what you stand for […]
I have heard it from my parents, my husband, and my friends. Strangers on the internet have told me. It seems to be an understood fact of life at this point. Any time a stepmom asks for advice, expresses her concerns, or just wants to vent, to someone that’s not in her shoes, she’s met […]
My stepdaughter’s mom, stepdad, and baby sister recently moved out after living with my husband and me for three months. Yep, you read that right. My husband’s ex-wife and I lived under the same roof for a quarter of a year. I had to learn a few lessons the hard way, and though you probably […]
I was in a really bad place. The slightest mention of the family he had before me sent me into turmoil and agony. I didn’t understand why I couldn’t come first. Why I couldn’t be his only. I loved his daughter, and logically, I understood that without his first wife, we wouldn’t have this precious […]
In that moment, I knew I couldn’t say anything to make him understand. I could verbalize my emotions until I was blue in the face, but he just wasn’t going to make sense of my words. Exhausting myself trying to explain why I was struggling as a stepmom and needed my husband’s help was only […]
So often I see stepmoms calling moms horrendous names, and I see equally horrifying things from moms about stepmoms or the children’s fathers. It makes my stomach churn. Not because they don’t deserve it. Not because they haven’t done those things that are causing you to call them heinous words or to say disparaging things […]
Coming into my role as a second wife to the love of my life was no easy feat. It’s as if everywhere I turned there was another reminder of his former life, of the woman he loved before me. It was inescapable, perpetual torture. I wanted to surprise his mom at work with a bouquet […]
I am often discredited as a stepmom blogger because my relationship with K’s mom is so great. I take very little credit for our positive relationship; that was all Amanda, K’s biological mother. She has chosen to invite me into her daughter’s life and treat me as an equal instead of opting for hostility and […]