“I was sitting in my car rehearsing everything I would say. ‘She better stay in her lane or there’s going to be problems!’ As I walked in, she greeted me with a warm smile and a hug. If I told you I expected that kind of introduction, I’d be lying. I was completely caught off guard. All my walls came down.”
‘How can this be? It’s not how I wanted to bring a baby into the world.’ I heard his father met someone.’: Mom comes to accept and appreciate son’s new ‘bonus mom,’ urges to ‘let go of everything you never had control of to begin with’
‘Poor kid, having to pretend two ‘apes’ are family.’ They say we are mixing pure and dirty blood.’: Woman’s second marriage to black man makes her learn ‘people don’t understand the value of love over skin color’
“Women have approached my son at the park with my husband and said, ‘Honey, where is your mommy? Do you know him? Do you need me to help you find your mommy?’ He’s assumed to be a criminal while I’m always viewed as the saint, a woman who adopted black children out of the goodness of her heart.”
‘You are stronger than this. Stop!’ Gay feelings were still there. It was a secret I planned on taking to my grave.’: Man comes out to wife after 10-year marriage, ‘I am grateful for the courage to no longer hide’
“I was on the verge of a breakdown. I had avoided it long enough. I had to tell her. ‘I am gay,’ I said, overcome with emotion one night after work. It was the first time I’d ever said the words out loud. With tears in her eyes, she scooped me in her arms and held me as I wept like a baby. I will never forget that night. Neither of us had any intention of ending our marriage.”
‘It’s not fair,’ my daughter said, tears welling up in her eyes. I’ll never forget the first holiday I spent without her.’: Single dad determined to make splitting holidays with his ex work, ‘we were together, and that’s what the holidays are all about’
“As a single parent, I had to get creative. I jumped in an Uber and 45 minutes later I met my ex to pick up my daughter. We rushed inside to open presents. We had an hour to spend together in the comfort of our home. All while holding my breath that weather wouldn’t derail any of this. There was no margin for error. I wear sleigh bells and an Elf costume. We have fun with it. We were together, and that’s what the holidays are all about.”
‘Oh gosh, it’s THE VIDEO.’ The one from his first wedding. ‘Does he love me as much as her?’: Woman finally accepts being second wife, stepmom, is ‘thankful for the experiences he had because they shaped him to be who he is today’
“I had offered to help my then-boyfriend unpack boxes for his new home. Knowing I was still sensitive to items from the life he had before me, I offered to unpack the living room. I came across something which stopped me in my tracks. I immediately felt sick to my stomach. ‘Am I as pretty as she is?’ I began to feel extremely insecure.”
‘I wasn’t trying to ‘play mommy.’ I was jealous when they started dating. Now my daughter’s stepmom is my best friend.’: Husband’s wife and ex-wife become best friends, successfully co-parent as ‘one big happy family’
“Before we had even met, we started off on the wrong foot. It began when Nick (my ex) and Savannah (his new girlfriend) were dating and took my baby to Disneyland. Savannah took a picture and posted it online. I was angry. It felt like someone was being the ‘replacement’ as Liv’s mom.”
‘He’ll never be a dead-beat dad who got remarried and started a new life. And I refuse to be the evil stepmom.’: Bonus mom successfully co-parents with husband’s ex, ‘We all make the effort. We all show up. We are all present’
“When I first met my husband, he told me he was a single father to 2 handsome boys. Their mother got remarried and moved with them 4 hours away to another state. But, they made coparenting work. And together, us 4 parents became friends. We adopted two babies only 4 months apart last year. But every other Friday I leave from work to meet their mom 100 miles away. ‘Do you want to come stay with the boys while we go out of town, so they don’t miss school?’ Of course we said yes.”
‘Well, if you’re not my daughter-in-law anymore, then from now on you’re my daughter.’: Couple choose to peacefully co-parent after divorce, ‘the kids first, ego last formula has been so worth it’
“Once I started dating my current husband, I assumed the invitation to Thanksgiving would stop. But no. The invitation was extended to him as well. Today, my husband helped my ex-husband’s mom set the table. Today, my ex-husband and current husband discussed work, football, and parenting. Today, I watched my ex-husband play superheroes with my son from my second marriage.”
‘My ex-husband married my best friend,’ she tells everyone. We’ve given ‘Sister Wives’ a whole new meaning.’: Wife and ex-wife become best friends after years of fighting, successfully co-parent blended family
“His ex-wife was not a fan of mine. I was his first girlfriend after their divorce and she felt she needed to protect her children. She had no clue who I was. There were times I wanted to knock her upside her head and vise versa. But we finally met for lunch to hash things out. I was nervous. ‘I am not trying to take your place. You are the kids’ mother and I in no way want to replace you.’ ‘I really needed to hear that,’ she told me. Turns out, what I needed was right before me the whole time.”
‘If you date a girl, you’re going to hell.’ I broke her heart the instant the words escaped my lips.’: 14-year-old takes in cousin’s daughter as her own, helps her through homosexuality, self-harm, ‘We were always meant to be a family’
“She caught me by surprise. ‘What would you do if I dated a girl?’ I immediately told her, ‘If you date a girl, you’re going to hell.’ The instant the words escaped my lips, something else hit me harder than the fear of my child in hell. I broke her heart. I never thought my child would be gay. I began noticing small cuts on her arms. I was losing her. I would have risked anything for her to find herself and be happy.”
