Tag Archive for: Stepmom

134: Lost Yourself in Stepmotherhood? How Curiosity Can Help You Find Yourself Again with Amy Nesbitt

Have you ever looked around and realized you've spent so much time caring for everyone else that you've forgotten what brings you joy? It's a feeling many stepmoms know all too well. Between navigating blended family dynamics,…

133: Amy Porterfield on Finding Your Identity as a Stepmom

Finding your stepmom identity can feel overwhelming. Many stepmoms wonder where they fit in their blended family, how they can build meaningful relationships with their stepchildren, and whether they are doing enough. Bestselling author…

132: Is It Really Parental Alienation? How to Recognize the Signs and Protect Your Family with Amy J.L. Baker, PhD

When a child suddenly begins rejecting one parent, it's natural to wonder what's happening. Is it simply part of adjusting to life between two homes? Is it the result of conflict after divorce? Or could someone be intentionally (or…

131: Eve Rodsky on the Mental Load in Blended Families

Are you the one tracking the dentist appointments, school forms, birthday gifts, custody schedules, groceries, and all the tiny details no one else seems to notice? That invisible work has a name: the mental load. In this episode…

130: The Comments Every Stepmom Hates and Exactly How to Respond

We've all been there. Someone makes a comment about being a stepmom that they probably mean well... but it still stings. "You knew what you were getting into." "At least you get a break." "They're not really your kids." In…

The Stepmom Mother’s Day Party You’ve Been Waiting For

The Stepmom Mother's Day Party You've Been Waiting For! Let me be honest with you about something. Mother's Day is complicated when you're a stepmom. And I don't mean a little complicated. I mean the kind of complicated where you wake…

The Passionate Stepmom Is Not Made, She’s Built

I’m a mom and a stepmom. I know both jobs are two of the hardest, sometimes most thankless jobs on the planet. But one of those roles has been more of a personal challenge for me than the other. Can you guess which one it is? Yup…

Stepmoms: Quit Comparing Yourself to Your Partner’s Ex!

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. The list goes on and on. This…
young frustrated woman screaming with closed eyes

The Ugly Truth About The Ex

When I came in to this stepmum gig, I thought I was pretty well prepared. I was a stepchild myself, had successfully navigated the relationship with my kids then stepmum…how hard could it be? Harder than I could ever have imagined. Like…

5 Harmful Habits Stepmoms Need To Break

As stepmoms, we spend so much time supporting one another in an “us against the world” mentality, which is awesome and important and so valid. But with that mentality, we often don't want to see that we ourselves might have developed some…
Big Family

What is the Role of a Stepparent? Redefining Parenting — One Step At A Time

Stepparents have been around for a long time. They’ve stepped in, stepped up, and they have patiently allowed themselves to be painted into the background on many occasions. There are stories of wicked stepmothers both in real life and…
Stepmum Drawing a Heart in the Sand

Journey to a Happy Heart

I once asked the question on social media what words people associate with stepfamily, stepmom and step kids. It is incredible to me the number of negative word associations with these phrases. Words came up like the other, difficult, adjustment,…
Mother and Daughter

‘I Don’t Have A Stepmom’

My daughter and I were cuddled up on the couch watching something together. Somehow, the subject of her brother came up and how I was his stepmom. No big deal. But then she turned to me and said, ‘Well, you are his stepmom. But I don’t…
Woman grinning

Tips for Getting Your Stepchild’s Mother Out of Your Head

(Kicking the High-Conflict Habit) It’s a cycle we’re desperate to break. We’re angry, so we ruminate, which makes us angrier, and so we ruminate some more. The anger and the insecurity means something to us – it’s evidence to us…
Stepmum smiling

4 Traits of Highly Effective Stepmoms

1. Self-Awareness It’s healthy for every person and parent out there to have developed a generous sense of self-awareness, but for a stepmom, it can be particularly useful. No matter what your situation as a stepmom is, whether it’s…