Call it what you will – a team, peeps, clan, kinfolk, your tribe. Most everyone has one. The group of ‘A-lister’ individuals you surround yourself with and can turn to whenever the occasion calls – and sometimes even when it doesn’t, just because they are a swell group of people who you like being around […]
Becoming a stepparent can be daunting. Figuring out your role as a stepparent — aside from the day-to-day responsibilities that come with it —may lead to confusion, uncertainty or even conflict between you and your partner, your partner’s Ex, and the kids. There is a lot of information and advice out there to help you […]
When your stepchild seeks to exclude you or worse still reject you, your spouse/their parent and their entire stepfamily , it can be difficult to know how to react or what to do. It can be especially painful when you believe that you have gone out of your way to try and forge a relationship […]
When you think about it, really think about it, stepmothers are pretty freaking amazing. These women take on responsibility for children who are not their own. Children who for the most part would do anything to NOT have a new stepparent in their world. These women accept their partner’s ex as a necessary part of […]
There is no guide on how to stepparent. No ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’ stepparent-style best seller. There’s no wise proverbs, ‘old wives tales’ or oral stories passed down from generation to generation to provide guidance and support to new stepparents about to embark on their stepparenting journey. Soon-to-be stepparents do not get baby […]
The other day one of my best friends, who is both a mother and stepmother, made some comments that seemed to suggest she was experiencing some intense doubt and internal conflict about her 13 relationship with her stepdaughter. Recently, she said, she was finding herself being more and more affected by her stepdaughter’s (and her […]
Time and time again it has been said by us here at Stepping Through, as well as by others, that there are many challenges to being a stepmom. It is a hard gig. And even the most resilient, resourceful and confident stepmother will at times along the way, stumble and be plagued by thoughts of […]
A few weeks ago was the ‘anniversary’ of the day I met my stepson for the first time. I had dated his dad for 6 months before meeting him. My stepson was 2 ½ and I was 30 years old. We’ve both grown a lot since then and here’s a few things I learned along […]
Cinderella descended on our cinemas this week. A cinematic masterpiece with an amazing Australian actress (who we absolutely love by the way) in the stepmother role reinforcing a negative stereotype that has plagued stepfamilies, particularly stepmothers and stepdaughters, for centuries. I’m not sure if you have or are currently combatting the negative stepmother stereotype in […]