Thursday Thoughts: Stepdaughter Summer

As much as I’d like to regret all the heartache I went through in my marriage, hearing my stepdaughter say she had the best summer of her life makes all I went through worth it. It’s funny how some people don’t take step-parents seriously, they think we don’t or can’t truly love a child that isn’t ours. I not only opened my heart & home to my stepdaughter, so did my family & close friends & she is treated like she is biologically mine, even though she is not. I grew up in a home full of love, affection, & support; because it was easy to give those things to her father, it was natural for me to feel them for her. Family is about unity, it’s all I know; with that said, you divorce spouses, not children.

Though her bio mom and I are extremely different, we are both survivors, strong, and aren’t afraid to let our voices be heard. We are both raising “our” daughter to think of us as a team. She has 2 moms, 2 grandmas, 2 grandpas, and lots of extended family all over the states. We’re teaching her that no matter where we all live, we all love her the same and that’s very much. I’m thankful to her mom for treating ME like the other parent, even though I’m not blood. I’m thankful that she has opened her heart and mind for the sake of my stepdaughter; she should be proud of herself for putting her daughter’s happiness first. Not just anyone can do that and my hope for the future is that it only gets better.

My stepdaughter will never forget all she experienced here this summer; she’s learned about her Mexican culture, how Texas life is, how family does everything together, how its ok to dance & sing around the house & of course the beauty world. I’ve taught her to appreciate sunsets on road trips, give hugs when you say hello & goodbye to family, that girls should always look their best, smell fresh, and it’s ok to be a girly girl and still play outside. These are just a few things of course.

With summer coming to an end, we now have a school year between us. With technology, travel, and communication, it won’t be long before we see each other again. Whatever our future holds, I hope these visits and any time we spend together contribute to her growing up to be a strong woman. My hope is that she knows how much she’s loved by every one of us in her family, no matter where we’re from or what race we are.