During the first couple years of marriage to my husband, he was extremely reluctant to set boundaries or even noticed the need for them. I, on the other hand, was ready to explode with all the inappropriate behavior from his high-conflict ex and his lack of recognition. It made me feel like our marriage was […]
When it came the time to meet his ex I suspect we were all a bit apprehensive. She was the one before us and at one time your partner loved this woman. They will forever be a part of each other’s lives as they share children, future grandchildren, and history. But, now that you are […]
Being a stepmom in a newly blended family has been the hardest task of my life. For me, the most challenging part has been learning how to deal with my husband’s ex and controlling my feelings towards her actions. BuI don’t have a feel-good relationship with my husband’s ex. She literally despises me, and in […]
I’ve ALWAYS obsessed with comparing myself to my husband’s ex and now I’m making it public. I fixated on her looks, parenting skills, her previous and current relationship with my husband, her hatred for me, and the list goes on. This preoccupation has taken much of my time, happiness, and health. Am I the only stepmom dealing with […]
I’ve known my stepchildren for over half their lives, yet I get reminded of my lack of belonging continuously throughout the year. Mother’s Day is often a day that solidifies a stepmother’s dark feelings of unimportance in her blended family. It can be a firm reminder we don’t count. So, if we share in co-parenting, where […]
When I married my husband I anticipated a wonderful marriage full of love and devotion but what I didn’t expect was feeling like I had made the biggest mistake of my life. I left my perfectly happy single life and never anticipated the heaviness of this marriage. I obsessed over why my husband didn’t see […]
When I divorced my ex I knew I wanted to remarry. I desired companionship and closeness with another individual. But, I had certain “qualifications” that I was looking for in a new partner. One “qualification” was that he would have children. A man with children of his own would understand the love I had for my two boys. […]
Being a stepmom is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I find myself dealing with a high-conflict ex-wife and dysfunctional situations on a constant basis. What happened to my once care-free life? It is now burdened with complications, which cause guilt especially when things escalate between my husband, his kids, or his […]
My husband and I just celebrated our wedding anniversary. Our marriage has been challenging due to his ex and her instabilities, which inevitably trickle down to us. Nevertheless, each year we like to reflect on the past year and how our marriage has improved. This year I had a revelation during our conversation: Stepmoms are not […]