I’ve had several people ask me how we handle chores in our house given the fact that we have a blended family. To be honest, that was probably the first place where I stepped in as future step mom and put my foot down (gently, in a private conversation with my husband).
Dave divorced his children’s mother and had been left with the kids full time when his ex-wife chose not to take her 50/50 custody or see the kids regularly. He felt horribly guilty – he chose to end a miserable, unfulfilling marriage, something he saw as a selfish act. It made him feel as though he were completely responsible for ensuring his children’s happiness at all times.
Over the first year, what that translated into was Dave becoming a slave to his children’s demands. He poured their cereal in the morning; they ate, walked away, he cleaned up. He cleaned their rooms, made their beds, folded and put away all the laundry…when I arrived on the scene I knew it was headed to an unhealthy place.
This is an excerpt from Shadra’ s book, Stories From a StepMom, available on Amazon Kindle. Read more or request a review copy..
