Grieving

Grieving

Two years ago, my family and I loaded up a big moving truck, packed our van with suitcases, snacks, and maps, and headed from Boise, Idaho to Bath, New York. It was the second time we’d made the trip. Dave and I met and married in Boise. Our son was born there....
Confrontation and Accusations

Confrontation and Accusations

I have never been able to understand the choices my stepchildren’s biological mother made concerning them. She gave up her custody; she stayed away from the kids even when she could have been with them; she has never kept in touch with them or made them feel...
Sharing Kids’ Hearts

Sharing Kids’ Hearts

I do not remember whether or not I was one of those kids who had trouble sharing when I was younger, but I certainly have found something I do not enjoy sharing as an adult: my kids. My husband had full custody of his three children when we married. We raised our...
No Half Ways

No Half Ways

Our mom’s parents divorced when she was 11 years old. Her mom remarried a few years later, and my mom and her three brothers were joined less than a year later by a new baby sister. Theirs was not always an easy adjustment, having a step dad and a new sister who...
From Stepmom to Stepdaughter

From Stepmom to Stepdaughter

It wasn’t until the envelope came in the mail that it was even real to me, and even then I wanted to deny it. I had known it was coming, and had tried very hard to put it out of my mind – but there it was, addressed by hand to Mr. and Mrs. David Bruce. I thought...