“I received a text no mother wants to receive. ‘You won’t be seeing them again.’ Our story isn’t sunshine and rainbows, but love flows freely.”
‘You will never be anything more than a glorified babysitter.’ I wasn’t sure I could do it anymore.’: Mom shares journey to beautifully blended family, ‘Our family is perfectly imperfect’
‘She let an ‘I love you’ slip in the middle of a tickle fight. Her shell broke, and she fell completely head over heels for him.’: Mom shares sweet ode to daughter and her bonus dad
“John is not her second dad. John is HER John. Friend, dad, protector. Stepdad and stepdaughter were never in our vocabulary.”
‘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.”
‘The dad she always dreamed of. He not only read vows to his wife, but also to his new stepdaughter.’: 9-year-old brought to tears by new dad’s surprise emotional vows during wedding ceremony
“We hadn’t spoken in 10 plus years. I noticed Jimmy liking things on my Facebook, so I messaged him. A week later we had our first date, and that was it! I knew he was the one. Everyone was in tears. It was a surprise for Olivia.”
‘I invited my husband’s ex-wife to my wedding. In our family, we’re not ‘half’ or ‘step.’ We’re just family.’: Mom and stepmom come together to peacefully co-parent after feud, ‘Women should always support each other’
“As I was falling in love with him and his daughter, he and his wife were getting a divorce. We were both young, immature, and jealous. I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. Hurtful words were thrown around for years. One day, we decided to meet up and talk. ‘Can you meet me at the coffee shop?’ That was the day two women came together in vulnerability.”
‘Did she want another woman in her life? I waited to meet my stepdaughter for the very first time. My heart pounded as she stepped in the car.’: Woman says there’s ‘nothing natural about a blended family’
“Trying on my wedding dress, I sensed tension with my boyfriend’s daughter. My mind raced, and I pulled her aside. ‘I’m not trying to replace your mom.’ I never expected to start a family like this.”
‘My pregnancy crushed my stepkids. The mom and dad they’d known were gone, and now we were bringing a baby into their lives.’ Mom feels ‘remorse’ for bringing child into ‘complicated’ home
“I mourned that my daughter couldn’t be welcomed into the world with joyful innocence. She’d be born into a life of sharing Christmases and summer vacations. A life where daddy couldn’t tell mommy she was his first and only wife. I had to bury the dreams of what I THOUGHT motherhood looked like.”
‘Call me ASAP. It’s important.’ I had this overwhelming sensation to turn my phone over. That’s when I saw it. 37 missed calls.’: Woman loses father to suicide, pledges to ‘live life to the fullest’ for his ‘moments lost’
“You called me to ask about a project, and prior to the call, you texted as well. You promised to come to see me Monday and help me move out of the dorm. We were going to have a ‘daddy-daughter date,’ but 40 minutes later, I got the call I never expected. I had 37 missed calls. Daddy, you never even crossed my mind.”
‘My dad was married and had an affair with my mom. I became the product of their affair.’: Woman overcomes childhood trauma, addiction, proclaims ‘I wear my story with pride – all of it!’
“On the outside, we looked normal. But behind closed doors, dark secrets hid. My younger sister woke up while it was happening. She said, ‘Daddy can you do that to me like you do to Shannon?’ He told her, ‘No it’s only for her.’ I was only in 4th grade and it tore me apart. I still hear and feel him breathing down my neck.”
‘If you do that one more time, you’re going in TIME OUT.’ As soon as that door shut, she ran over to the couch. I thought, ‘Please get down. Don’t you know I’m the fun parent?! I do books, not time out!’
“Being a stepmom is so complicated. She’d only ask her dad for things. But then, hand-foot-and-mouth disease struck our house. My husband was down for the count – which left my stepdaughter completely reliant on me. Let the games begin.”
