There many different types of moms: biological mom, adopted mom, stepmom, foster mom, family members or friends who step in to be a mother figure, and variations of them all. What it all boils down to is that no matter the “official” title, if you have children living under your roof that you take care of, encourage to be their best, support them where they are, and put their needs above your own, then you’re a mom. And guess what? Being a mom, of any title, is really damn hard.
Not only do I have two biological children, I have a stepson as well. I don’t like calling him that because my love for him isn’t any different than my other kids, but I plan to write about being a stepmom quite a bit so it will be relevant at times. If any of you can relate, I highly recommend you read my posts about being a stepmom. I am not going to sit here and pretend I’ve done everything right or that I know all there is to know, but at 25 I moved across the country and had to navigate a life I have never experienced before. We went from Rob barely being able to speak to the bio-mom without them fighting to my two youngest jumping in her or her husband’s car to chat when they come to pick up Roby. Not only do we sit together at games, but her side of the family feels comfortable enough to come inside the house when they come pick him up. Hell, his mom even offered to babysit my kids once when I was in a pinch. The relationship isn’t perfect, but I worked really fucking hard to get it where we are today and I feel like above anything else I can share on this site, navigating being a stepmom in a highly stressful situation will hopefully be the most beneficial. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done and it took a major toll on my mental health, but I can sit here 10 years later and say it was worth it. Roby and I have a great relationship and fortunately, he doesn’t have to truly live two separate lives.
Like I said, being a mom is so hard and is the most important job we have. These babies we are raising grow up to be adults one day and I don’t think I have to tell anyone how impactful one person can be to another person(s) life. I can’t even tell you how many blogs/websites I’ve visited to try and learn the best way to navigate each stage of my mothering and my children’s lives. It takes a village; we weren’t meant to do this alone.
