The Challenges and The Beauty of Being a Step-Parent

I became a step mom at the age of 18 to a very bright and determined 11 year old boy. I skipped many years ahead in the lessons of parenting and to a unique degree, motherhood.

A few of the biggest things that have stood out to me are: Parenting never ends, it just changes- often prompted by the growing child and sometimes encouraged by the wise parent. Also, love conquers all- remembering where this young person is at and perhaps what it was like to be that age. Sometimes what they need most is a compassionate compatriot- not necessarily the 'parent' or 'friend' we feel we should be. And (I know you're not supposed to start a sentence with a conjunction- but sometimes it works best ;-) sometimes what we want for our children is not what they want or what is in store for their future.

I think of such things often- I still have much to learn. It seems to me that we are not here to teach our kids; they come into our lives to teach us.

With Love- Tara