Three houses down from us a two-year-old child died today, under suspicious circumstances. Around eight police cars, an ambulance, and the Crime Unit van lined our street all day long, while plenty of reporters combed the area looking for statements from neighbors about the family. Bright yellow crime scene tape roped off the lawn, while almost the entire neighborhood wandered around outside in absolute shock. Sure our area has been hit with petty crime in the past few months, but absolutely nothing like this.

No one... more

Children who have grown up in unpredictable situations, tend to exhibit unpredictable behaviors, especially when they think that no one is looking. For quite some time (long enough that I do not care to think back and accurately recall just how long I was in daily misery) absolutely everyday was a struggle with my adopted stepson. If I wasn’t his shadow and literally two feet behind him, he was doing something that he definitely shouldn’t be doing.

Every morning my husband would give me a kiss and head out of the house, and I would... more

In the next few weeks, we will know what my adopted stepson will be doing this summer. If his grades have come up enough, he will have a nice long summer vacation, filled with family time, lazy days, as well as a part time job if he can find one that is willing to take a young teenager. If his grades have not come up though, he will be sitting in school throughout the summer, with a week off at the very beginning and one off at the very end, thrilled about that prospect he is not.

Are we happy with the idea of summer school? ... more

It’s a natural stage of life they say, a progression even, experts claim. Somehow losing your sweet, innocent and usually compliant (at least to some degree) child to a moody, lazy, pig headed and argumentative teenager is considered progress. I see it more as a parasite that settles into their bodies, taking years to fight off and expel, so that they can once again become human.

1.If your child is suddenly sleeping... more

It isn’t hard to be viewed as the wicked stepparent. Society has pinned us as evil, hateful people out to get our stepchildren from day one. The Disney movie, Cinderella, painted the stepmother as a wicked woman, who doted on her own daughters, yet she treated her stepdaughter as a live in slave. This is the image that seems to have stuck with the masses, and no matter how great of a parent a stepparent actually is, we are still knocked down a notch by negative... more

Being a stepparent is not an easy job by far. Coming into a family a ready made family and trying to not only fit, but also to gain the trust, love, and acceptance of your stepchild can be an extremely difficult task. The tips below are some simple ways to help stepparents ease their way into their new family, and begin building strong bonds with their new children that will last a lifetime, as well as sidestepping some of the major issues of stepfamily life!

1. Ease... more

In the very beginning of our journey together as a family, my adopted stepson’s mother was still somewhat involved in his life. Both phone calls and visits were sporadic, and usually ended in nasty fights and my adopted stepson in tears. We did our best to mediate between the two of them when my adopted stepson would refuse to speak with her, sitting down with him and finding out why he was upset, then calling her to give her his side of the story and then to hear hers, and then try to get him to calm down enough to speak with her. Of course... more

It seems that the closer my adopted stepson gets to becoming 18, the more childish his behavior turns, and the more he tries to lean on us for support. The idea of growing up and becoming an adult, while he will not yet admit it, seems to utterly scare the pants off of him. When he was younger he wanted so desperately to be independent, to know it all, and not rely on anyone for help or support. But now that that time of freedom and independence is looming just around the corner for him, as at the end of this year he will turn 16, he... more

My adopted stepson is a genius. I know that all parents think that their child is surely the most gifted being on the planet, but really, he’s been tested several times, and scores in the genius area every single time. For the standardized testing in the public school system he scores in the 99th percentile, and has done so ever since he began school. He is incredibly bright. He can retain facts like you would not believe. He knows more about science and history than I could ever hope to learn. He can read over something once, and retain... more

Stepparent adoption is the most common form of adoption in the United States, yet many of us sitting at home have never run into another adoptive stepparent. We are sometimes able to find each other online, yet deep bonds between adoptive stepparents are rarely formed. When we already feel left out in the home, with our spouses being biologically related to their child, and we are not, it is an even bigger blow to not be able to find support and friendships from other adoptive stepparents outside of the home setting.

In the home, adoptive stepparents... more