• Fences Can Be Quite BeautifulStepmother Boundaries You have to be willing to take care of you, first. Dr. Maya Angelou said, “I have to be a ninny to ask someone else to take care of me, if I’m not willing to take care of myself.” Yet, isn’t that one of our core frustrations as a stepmother? No one seems willing to take care of us. Defend us. Take a stand for us. Maybe, as Dr. Angelou

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    Anne Taintor's Images Encapsulate the Ultimate Passive Aggressive Behavior. Big Smiles. Their Thoughts are In the Words. We love Anne Taintor! Passive aggressiveness runs rampant in our stepfamilies.  I hypothesize that there is a minimum of one family member who exhibits these behaviors.  Are you one of the passive aggressive family members?  Or, are you living with passive aggressive

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    I saw this image on the new Getty Images for Free site.  As soon as I saw it, I thought 'this is how I feel sometimes'. I, along with my sister stepmoms, feel as if we are on the outside looking in. No matter how hard we knock on the glass, we can't penetrate it.  Then, we feel as if we are swimming around and around and around in circles.  Same issues.  Same behaviors. Same thoughts in our

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    When Will Stepmothers Get Their Justice? When will I get justice?  Have you ever thought about justice?  I know that I have. Does any of this sound familiar? "I do all of this work.  When will someone thank me?" " I am always the one picking up the pieces.  Yet, I never get asked.  It's just assumed I'll watch the kids or cook the meals." "I am everyone's doormat." "IT'S JUST UNFAIR!

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    Starbucks is More Than a Cup of Coffee.What Do You Stand For? Have you ever thought about what is truly galvanizing you towards your life's legacy?  I was moved to think about this question as I watched Oprah interview Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks.  Starbucks provides an aggressive benefits package for its employees that work 20 hours or more per week.  How great is that?  (As a side

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    What if Stepmothers Chose Peaceful Disobedience? At the time of this writing, it is the day of Nelson Mandela’s funeral.  Nelson Mandela was the past president of South Africa and is credited with bringing the end of apartheid to that country.  Mr. Mandela spent 27 years in prison.  He entered prison at the age of 44 and was released when he was 71 years old.  He fought tirelessly for

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    Stepmoms and the Ex: Does familiarity breed contempt?Picture by Anne Taintor I’m bringing bitchy back Them other girls don’t know how to act Sometimes I think that stepmothers and ex-wives should have a t shirt that says, “We’re Bringing Bitchy Back”.  Maybe, I should create a rap video of the same name.  Let’s face it. Many of us act really bitchy towards the ex-wife or

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    Stepmoms Looking for Respect in All the Wrong Places per Anne Taintor One of the hardest parts about being a stepmom is that you work your ass off and get, what appears to be, nothing in return.  This show is not going to be about what we really get in return, it is strictly about how it often feels.  Lack of acknowledgement.  Disrespect.  Small requests not granted.  No thank yous.  No

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