• Bio Moms and Stepmothers Suffer from Bad NamesImage: http://falcon-hargraves.com I really dislike the term bio Mom as must as I dislike the term stepmom. I have used these terms in my blogs on a frequent basis.  I use them because I am trying to differentiate who I am talking about.  A few readers have called me on the carpet about the bio Mom title and I must say that I agree with them.  In

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    Stepfamilies Need Their Own Supreme Court Decision! The Supreme Court of the United States (#SCOTUS) approved same-sex marriage today (the writing of this blog).  Per CNN online, "Voting 5-4 in each of two decisions, justices threw out part of a law that denied hundreds of federal benefits to same-sex couples and cleared the way for gays and lesbians to once again marry in California." 

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    Your StepChildren Are Champions. See Rita Pierson's TedTalk (attached) I have often said that it is difficult to know if we are happy or unhappy with our life as a stepmother because we don't know who we are or the role we are supposed to play in our families.  In the past, I have written about our roles.  Are we friends?  Quasi parents?  Memory makers?  Event planners?  Then, I saw this

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    The Stepfamily MantraAhh! My Dad Married the Evil Stepmother! Run! Has your stepfamily ever told you that they are afraid of you?  Don't be surprised if they are terrified.  Yes, I said 'terrified'.  No one will tell you that they are scared.  In fact, they may act as if they tower over you and give you the impression that you are powerless.  Have you seen this type of behavior by your

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    The Very Involved Stepparent May Be a Pain!www.AnneTaintor.com I just realized that I have been a pain in the ass.  It hit me like a lightning bolt.  Let me explain my thinking. When I became a stepmother, I jumped in with two feet.  I was so excited to be related to my stepchildren.  I loved being part of their lives.  I also felt as if I might have something to offer them.  I had no

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    You Are One in a Million!Happy Mother's Day!from: Greeting Card Universe It is that dreaded time of year for stepmothers everywhere, Mother’s Day.  The emotional turmoil and quiet confusion starts several weeks before the holiday and culminates in a litany of rationalizations right up until that dire Sunday.  It is reasonable that children spend Mother’s Day with their mother.  For

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    Stepmothers and Mothers Are Human Beings with Basic Human Needs I always wanted to tape  a frank conversation between a stepmother and a Mother.  I always had this theory that if we could hear each other, we may think differently about the way we think, act and speak.  I am anxious to hear your feedback on the conversation. This is a personal conversation between me and a friend of

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    Life Can Change in a Hartbeat aka #BostonMaraton2013 Today, April 15, 2013, will be remembered as the day that we will never feel completely safe when we participate in a marathon or other big community events.  All we know as of the writing of this blog is that two bombs went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.  At last count, there were 3 dead and over 138+ injured.  We know

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    Are Stepmothers and Mothers Sharing Their Stepchildren? Ever since the last economic downturn, people have become entrepreneurial about how they live and work.  The biggest change has been the new Sharing Economy.  The sharing economy is one where we share each other's resources with each other either freely or cheaply.  As a matter of fact, I am a member of a barter group.  This group

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    Lean In? Stepmoms Feel as if We Have Leaned Over! Lean in.  It is the latest phrase to encourage women to be more professionally aggressive, fact-based and take more risks in the workplace.  The term has been coined by Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer at Facebook, released her book, Lean In:  Women, Work and the Will to Lead.  If you were to ask a stepmother if they need to lean in

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