“Stepmom” is not a dirty word.

Tiny Pep Talks for Stepparents

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I used to shy away from using the word “stepmom” like it was a dirty word. But “bonus mom” squicks me out even worse so… “stepmom” it is. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I got to wondering, why am I so uncomfortable with that word? Introducing my stepkid as my step kid shouldn’t seem like an insult — it's a fact. That is our legal relationship to each other.

I finally figured out, it’s really society’s preconceptions around stepparents that make us second guess using that title. And I’ve gotta say, I am so over it. I mean, if anyone thinks my relationship with my stepkid counts for less because I’m her stepmom rather than her biological mom, I’ve got a good sharp kick in the shins for those idiots.

To change society’s preconceptions about “stepmom” being a negative title though, first we need to change our own. We need to stop acting like introducing ourselves as a stepparent or referring to our stepkids as stepkids is the equivalent of admitting to some shameful confession.

The only way for stepparents to stop feeling like we’re lepers is to normalize stepparenting, and the best way to normalize stepparenting is to embrace our prefixes already. Let’s stop apologizing for the very valid role we all play in our stepfamilies, and own the stepparent/stepkid title with pride.

That might’ve been a little closer to a rant than a pep talk, but I feel like sometimes a soapbox is called for. I will now step down off that soapbox though and ask a small favor, which is if you’re finding this podcast helpful, could you please leave a review? It only takes a minute but will make a BIG difference in helping this little podcast get found by more stepparents. Thanks so much and I’ll meet you back here tomorrow. xo

PS - Now on Etsy: STICKERS FOR STEPPARENTS! >> (Let’s destigmatize this role already!!)

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