Before meeting my husband, Robert, I never even dated anyone who had kids from a previous relationship. Therefore, when I officially became a stepmom, I was overwhelmed by this new role. Where was the manual? I found myself in so many confusing, frustrating and awkward situations that I didn’t know how to handle which resulted in a lot of anxiety. Luckily, through trial and error (and therapy!) I’ve managed to successfully carve out a unique role for myself as a stepmom within my blended family.
Recently, I have been receiving lots of emails from new stepmoms that describe a very similar situation to mine when I first became a stepmom. Of course I want to help a sista out so I came up with 5 concrete tips for the new (or soon to be) stepmom. I’ve found these rules of thumb to be very helpful throughout my journey and I am confident they will be for you too!
5 Tips for the New Stepmom:
– Don’t forget to put your marriage first.
– Take the high road with the ex.
– Be patient when it comes to bonding with your stepkids.
– Don’t be too hard on yourself.
– Get a stepmom crew to vent to!
Jennifer Zelman is a stepmom/mom to three children and a stepchild herself. She is the creator of www.NachoMom.club, a video blog that discusses the challenges and joys of stepmotherhood in an informative and upbeat way. She is passionate about creating a supportive community of stepmoms to make our journey more manageable, and fun!
Find her on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and Twitter.
