Parenting doesn't come with a manual, and stepparenting probably even more so.
How do you, as a stepparent, be the positive adult role model your stepchild needs in her life without overstepping your bounds into biological parent territory?
I've never been a parent or a stepparent myself, but I have watched my childhood best friend step into both of those roles at a very young age. She and her husband have worked exceptionally hard to provide a loving and stable home to both of their girls, and I'm forever in awe because of it.
Navigating relationships with biological parents can sometimes be difficult in a blended family.
At the end of the day, though, children — both biological and step — just need an unwavering support system.
Stepparents are there to grow that support system to an ever bigger one, to be yet another guiding light for the kids.
Co-parenting is no walk in the park. There will be good days, and there will be bad ones. But it's important for stepparents to know how loved and appreciated they are, through it all.
These 6 stepparenting quotes will make you think of that special parent in your life.
Thumbnail Photo: Flickr / Aikawa Ke
Being the glue that holds a blended family together isn't easy, and there's no magic formula to it.
You don't just marry a person, you marry their entire family, too.
Always remember that you have to take care of yourself before you can take care of your family.
The people in your life know that it's the simple gestures that make you feel the most loved.
Be for your stepkids the role model you needed when you were younger.
At the end of the day, you are family. Blood or not.
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