Tag Archive for: Stepmom

Pensive Stepmum

Lessons Learned When I Embraced My Role as Second Wife

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…
Women Talking

Things I Wish My Stepchild’s Mom Knew

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…
Woman and Children

Why I Don’t Love My Stepchildren as My Own

When Gabe and I married, I understood I was committing to him and Sara, Amy, and Jack for the rest of my life. I had no idea what that actually meant. In hindsight, that’s probably a good thing. Knowing what I do now about parenting stepchildren,…
Stepmum and Stepdaughter

Surviving the Stepdaughter War

My stepdaughter Amy has a war raging within her. It surfaced this weekend. “That’s not how mom makes potatoes,” she told me as I slid the roasting pan into the oven before dinner. After her shower, she came downstairs, long hair…
Family Blending

The Ugly Truth About Blended Families

Last night, as we settled into bed with a glass of wine, Gabe shared that Caden had recently hurt his feelings. He’d planned an outing he thought Caden would like, and Caden’s response hadn’t met his expectations. It was one of a long…
Teenagers Packing

Coming Home: Custody Transition Do’s and Don’ts

Over the years, Billy and I have shared custody in many different ways. We’ve bird nested, alternated every two days, spent time in a 2/5/5/2, and most recently, adopted a week-to-week schedule. While when the children change homes has…
Couple Hugging

What Every Second Wife Needs to Hear

The most romantic statement Gabe ever made to me didn’t happen on our wedding day. He didn’t declare it at the base of the Eiffel Tower, or pen it in a greeting card. The sentence caught me by surprise as we were out to dinner on a rare…
Mother and Adult Daughter

All Mothers Matter

I recently watched my grandmother die. She was nearly 93, at the end of a long and storied life, and she had no pain. My mother and I were with her, alone together in the room as she left us. In offering condolences, the hospice workers commented…
Teenagers

Building Teenage Confidence Isn’t One Giant Leap

The teenage years are well known as a time of self-doubt and low confidence. This can happen for a number of reasons, but you’ll be pleased to know that there are lots of things you can do to help your step-teenager counteract such feelings. During…
Parent Disciplining Child

Disciplining Stepchildren: 5 Tips for Parents

Whenever I coach stepfamilies – either parents, their children or the family as a whole – there’s one issue that almost always crops up: discipline. How do stepparents avoid being seen as the nasty interloper with ridiculous new rules,…
Stepmum with Stepchildren

How to Be a Good Role Model to Your Stepchildren

There are elements of parenting that stepparents can overlook, perhaps because they feel that they don’t apply to them, and one of these is being a role model. In fact, considering yourself as a role model can be very helpful in creating…
Stepmum and Stepdaugther Spending Time Together

Precious Moments: Valuing Alone Time with the Children

When looking back on some of my favorite childhood memories, I think of the King of Prussia Mall. I remember the shop ‘til ya drop days spent with my mom. I never wanted those days to end. Spending time alone with my mom was special because…
Stepmum and Stepson

It’s Not You, It’s Me

Wow! Ever feel like your stepchild doesn’t like you? This can be a constant feeling. A feeling that creeps up then leaves as quick as it came. Or if you are lucky, something you hardly, if ever, have to deal with. Me, I’m in the middle.…
Woman Thinking Positively

Positive Thoughts, Positive Actions, Positive Results

Do you ever have times in your life where you just feel like everything is going wrong like you're on an insane roller coaster that keeps your world upside down? Recently, I have been feeling that way, and let me tell you…I need to get…
Stepfamily

Making the Most Out of Mother’s Day

Oooooh, it’s that time of year again where many stepmoms are looking inward to figure out their place in the home. For some, this day can be a day where they are pampered with gifts and with love. While other stepmoms feel rejected and doubt…