When I married my husband, I became more than just a wife; I became a stepmom to three wonderful kids. For me, the experience has been a roll coaster of emotions that I never knew I had, but with great lows, comes great highs. Looking at it now, nine years later, I can’t imagine my life without these kids in it. Each one of them has made my life so fulfilling.

It was an odd sensation when I first fell in love with my stepkids.  It wasn’t like a slow warm up toward any of them; it was instant and very strong. They each had totally different personalities that were so endearing! Not really knowing how to act, I just watched and hung out with them. It was surprisingly great considering I didn’t really enjoy babysitting before and never wanted kids of my own.  I could not believe how much they accepted and loved me. There was no pressure for me to impress them or force them to like me. I was just there and they were there and so we were.

I never dreamed of being a mom; to be completely honest, it terrified me to be a biological mom for various reasons. I don’t know if it was the mother instinct in me, but I suddenly went from being a total college student to a domestic goddess, and some semblance of a mother-figure, overnight. I saw the need and I filled it. I cooked, cleaned, and tended to the yard. I washed more clothes than I thought humanly possible (my stepkids’ small sizes were so cute!). I dropped off the kids at school and I picked them up sometimes. Terrified as I was that I might do something wrong, the feeling of being responsible for their safety was oddly satisfying.

As they experienced life and the rare times I got to visit with them, I felt so honored to be there watching, laughing and crying with them. I was unaware of the impact that I might make on their lives. . . maybe because I was so clueless about what my actual role was and what the expectations were – I felt more like an aunt. Aunts have it made when it comes to their relationships with their nieces and nephews; they get to spoil the daylights out of them, play with them, and then send them home. It was so much fun giving them things they wanted, and maybe I over did it, but, heck, life is too short! I felt like a kid again myself!

Now, we have made so many memories together – my happiness is intertwined with theirs. It has been an experience I never knew would bring me so much joy and give me such a new perspective on life! Being a stepmom has been such a fulfilling experience!

~Lesley