Stepmoms: Just Be There with an Open Heart

Getting Real With Shadra Bruce It was heartbreaking for me watching our older kids wait for phone calls that never came, visits that never materialized, and relationships that never happened with their biological mother. I wanted nothing more than to magically go back...
Mom is Just a Title

Mom is Just a Title

Getting Real with Shadra Bruce I started seriously dating Dave when Derek was 11 and Kyle and Kira were almost 7. Since being first introduced, the kids had called me by my first name. Kyle called me mom almost immediately; but for a while, he called every woman mom....
Adjusting to Life in a Blended Family

Adjusting to Life in a Blended Family

Probably one of the more notable challenges of living in a blended family is adjusting to the various lifestyles and attitudes each of us bring to the newly formed group. The kids were old enough, when their biological mother left, to remember some differences between...
Broken Ornaments Better Than Broken Hearts

Broken Ornaments Better Than Broken Hearts

Getting Real With Shadra Bruce Opening Christmas presents might be what the kids look forward to the most, but it’s decorating the tree together that builds memories that last. If you celebrate Christmas, it’s likely your kids are already bouncing off the walls with...