“At 36, I said ‘I do’ to a handsome soldier and his 13-year-old son. I was a mom at last. That’s when I learned the harsh reality of labels. I wasn’t a ‘real mom.’”
‘I’d relax into thinking, ‘I’m finally a mom.’ We’d have a bad day, and I’d sob at my demotion back to ‘just a stepmom.’: Stepmom shares journey, ‘I’m done with the word JUST’
‘I discovered a hidden credit card and cellphone. My whole world crumbled beneath me. My ‘normal’ family didn’t exist anymore.’: Mom of blended family shares love story, ‘I got my happy ending’
“Every evening, I cried in the shower to hide my pain from my children. Being a divorced single mom wasn’t what I’d envisioned. I refused to believe we couldn’t get a second chance at love.”
Yes, Having A Big Family Is Awesome — Here’s Why
“But of course, just like any family, there are pros and cons.”
‘She’s just my stepmom.’ I wasn’t on the daycare list. To this day, I’m left off emails because I’m not a ‘primary’ parent.’: Woman navigates blended family life, ‘I’m more than JUST a stepmom’
“I may not be the primary parent but I do pick-ups, drop-offs, school plays, birthday parties. I go to her sporting events. I do homework. I get her hair cut and her nails done. My resume is impeccable.”
‘When it comes to the size of our family, we’re always laughed at. What they don’t know is we love our chaos!’: Mom of 6 shares journey as blended family, ‘We were made for this’
“When you see that positive pregnancy test, you start to wonder how you’re going to create more room in your heart for another. But just like the others, the new babe fits right in. Somehow, your heart just grows even bigger.”
‘Why would he want to take on my baggage?’ Most days I was a puddle of tears, ashamed I’d ended up a statistic.’: Divorcees marry and create beautifully blended family, ‘We’re unbreakable’
“How would this work? I was divorced with 3 kids, he was divorced with 3 kids. I had to realize I was worthy of LOVE again.”
‘My partner announced, ‘I’m trans. This is something I have to do, even if it means losing you and everything in the process.’ It felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me.’: LGBT couple share beautifully complex love story
“He had a lightbulb moment. ‘I cannot continue to inhabit this female body.’ I would be a lesbian woman part of a heterosexual couple. I had no idea what this meant for us.”
‘Can you make me fall in love with my husband again?’ The AHA moment came. The therapist said to him, ‘Not once have you acknowledged your wife’s feelings. All you talk about is yourself.’: Woman finds ‘indescribable love’ after finding courage to divorce
“Here I was, recently divorced from a 19-year relationship, a single mom to 3 kids. My plan was to be alone. I was not ready for dating. Well, life doesn’t always go according to plan. My unexpectedly crossed paths with Cory. I found love I never knew existed, a connection that goes far beyond this lifetime. A love so deep, no words on earth can describe the magnitude of its existence.”
‘Come spend Christmas with us!’ I always joke I hit the jackpot in the ex-wife department. She NEVER makes me feel like less of a parent. They’re the other half of our kick*ss parenting team.’: Mom shares first Christmas spent ‘as one big, happy, blended family’
“While I love to be dramatic and say we spent Christmas with my husband’s ex-wife and her husband, I will say we spent Christmas as one big, happy, blended family. And it was seriously one of the best Christmas Days I have ever had.”
‘My daughter said, ‘When you were married, you always fought. I’m happy now.’ Don’t think staying together for the kids will help.’: Mom shares co-parenting journey, ‘It won’t be this hard forever’
“I woke up from brain surgery knowing this was my second chance. This was not a marriage to be proud of. The kids deserved better, and so did we. The divorce was the best thing that ever happened to us.”
