We all understand that becoming a parent is a major adjustment, yet we expect stepparents to become instant experts in their role. And by “we” I mean society, but also including ourselves. We seem to hold ourselves to this ridiculous standard — like we’re not gonna make mistakes, or there won’t be a learning curve.

For me, I was already a parent when I became a stepparent, so it never occurred to me just how different stepparenting could be. I mean our kids were even the same age for pete’s sake. I thought it’d be like, just add one more kid to the mix, no big deal.

So today’s pep talk is for all you stepparents, especially newer stepparents and pre-stepparents: pretend you're the parent of a brand new baby and give yourself the same kind of grace: get lots of sleep, accept help when it's offered, and if you need help but someone hasn’t offered, then ask. Most importantly, pace yourself! Know that the super hard beginning part isn't always how stepparenting will look or feel. Hang in there. You’ve got this.

And if you need a little extra support along the way, go read my stepparenting survival guide for the CliffsNotes version of what you need to know. Or come join our support group in Substack. You can also send me a text message right through a magical link in the show notes. xo

Update: We switched hosting providers so we can’t do the texting thing anymore but please feel free to drop us a DM on Substack! xo

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🧡 Need a bigger pep talk? Start here or join us over on Substack! xo

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blendedfamilyfrappe.substack.com