If our children are to approve of themselves, they must first see that we approve of ourselves.(Maya Angelou ‘Rainbow in the Cloud’ 2014) In my experience, one of the things that helps get me back on track when I am feeling I can do nothing ‘right’, is to remind myself […]
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 […]
Changing the words used to describe a problem does not necessarily change the underlying issue. In fact, I worry that it can actually discredit the true experiences that real people are living. We are a “blended” family, but sometimes it feels more broken than blended. My husband and I got married […]
My dad married my stepmom when I was eight. When the officiate asked me if I would welcome her into our family, my mouth said “yes,” while my whole body screamed “no.” That was before I even had any idea of what it would be like. I just knew that […]
Imagine, if you will, that you work in a business where as part of the normal workflow you must work every other week at a different location. You pack up all your stuff – you might even need to put it in a large briefcase on wheels – and go […]
I’ve known my stepchildren for over 7 years …7 YEARS! That’s more than half their lives, yet I get reminded of my lack of belonging continuously throughout the year. Stepmom’s deal with this purposeful separation and take it personally, even if we don’t show it. Mother’s Day is often the […]
As Mother’s Day approaches I have been reflecting on motherhood. As it tends to do, it has also shone a light on step-motherhood. I am a stepmom of 3 adult stepchildren and the biological mother of 2 girls. We are clear about what moms SHOULD be. The ideal? Mothers are […]
