Becoming a Full-Time Stepmom: What to Expect and How to Cope With Changes in Custody by Jenna Korf
The thing with stepfamily life is you never know what is going to happen. You move in with a man who has kids—who has them maybe half the time—and you assume it will always be that way. But, in stepfamilies, things almost never stay the same.
I could not have imagined that three years after marrying my husband, who had 50/50 custody, we would be moving 3,000 miles away and gaining full physical custody of both boys (then 14 and 17) while their mom stayed put. Nope, I did not see that one coming.
In my case, we moved in hopes of giving my troubled older stepson a fresh start. So, when I was faced with the move, I didn’t think twice. I knew it needed to be done. But that didn’t mean I was prepared for it. Going from part-time to full-time stepmom is one of the most difficult changes you can experience.
Some stepmoms love spending a majority of time with their step-children and truly miss them when they’re gone. For those stepmoms, going full time won’t be as big a challenge. They may even welcome the change! But if you are one of the many stepmoms who are childfree by choice and/or do the happy dance when the kids go to the other house, the transition to full-time stepmom could be extremely difficult for you. …To read the rest of this article, log in to your account and download the July 2015 issue. Don’t have an account? Click here to subscribe.