Stepmothering is the ultimate learning experience, full of insights and discoveries, pain and joy. The role is always surprising and often exasperating. The realization of all you’ve gotten yourself into is sometimes overwhelming. The most important thing a stepmom learns is the most basic and sometimes the hardest to admit: I can’t do this alone.
. . . my fiancé’s 4 year-old son yelled for me to come upstairs to the bathroom. Upon my arrival, he asked me to please help him wipe. -- Janet B., Pennsylvania
(Used with permission from our friends at TroubledWith.com and Focus on the Family.) Obnoxious. At 8 years old, I didn't know how to spell it, but I sure could recognize it when I saw it in action. Boy, was she loud. And annoying. And she had a big bump on her lip. And big hair. And big feet. And really tight clothes on her big, big body...
From our Smart Questions, Smart Answers section: "I struggle with loving his children. When I married him I thought it would come easy and natural but I have found that in my unmarried 30 years Ive become pretty selfish. I do all the duties of a mom but have none of the benifits."
....So, to all the stepmoms, hang in there... do the special things.. and the children will appreciate you more once they are adults and have children.
From our Smart Questions, Smart Answers section: "...All they will eat is POP TARTS!! A child cannot live off of pop tarts. Then, they go to their mom and say I don't make them food, and basically, now I don't FEEL like it, because they don't like anything I make, and they feel I do not cook well, which is really insulting me..."
If there is one day of the year that can trigger either elation or sadness for a stepmom it’s Mother’s Day... Stepmoms often feel “outside the family circle” and this holiday may be a reminder that she’s an outcast.
Part 1. This is a "deleted chapter" from the book The Smart Stepmom: Like all marriages, couples in stepfamilies must make an effort to keep the romance alive and growing beyond the initial chemistry that first brought the couple together. Sustaining love requires commitment and dedication.
