With approximately half of all marriages ending in divorce, there are bound to also be a high number of remarriages, which means stepparents get added to the mix. This can cause contention, particularly when it comes to child-rearing.
One mom took to the internet to share her thoughts in the form of an open letter to the stepmother of her daughter. The results were a heart-felt letter that went viral.
She begins by explaining the situation.
I never wanted you here. You simply were never part of the plan. Growing up and dreaming of my family I never included you. I didn’t want help from another woman to raise my child. The plan was for my family to include me, daddy and our children, not you.
She recognized that things don’t always work out as planned.
But God has plans that far exceed our own and when my little family dissolved to form two families I knew you would be coming.
That foreknowledge didn’t mean it would be a welcome coming.
In my mind you would be a terrible beast and my daughter would not want you to mother her at all, ever! I was hoping that you would be semi unattractive and prayed my daughter wouldn’t look up to you. Her daddy would know that he was settling for second best.
But reality hit.
You were supposed to be hideous, remember? But you weren’t, you were stunningly beautiful. You were supposed to be a mean old hag, remember? But you weren’t, you were a young, sweet woman.
My plans were foiled.
I wanted to resent you but you made it impossible and I quickly grew thankful for you.
She emphasized all that the stepmom had done to help change her heart and mind.
I’m so thankful that you are there in my absence. I’m grateful that you have mercy on her teen years and never reject her. She needs a mommy at your house and you’ve done an amazing job being that for her.
You’ve respected my position as mom from the very start. I appreciate that you always check with me when you question if you are making the right decision with her. I know our situation is rare. It’s not often that a mom and stepmom text each other to remind each other that they love and respect each other. You are a gift.
The letter concludes with a beautiful closing.
I promise to always respect your input for our daughter. I promise to never lessen the position you hold in her life or make you feel like you are not her mother. I promise to raise her to be grateful to have two strong and brave women in her life that have the courage to mother her together.
Precious woman, you are a rare and beautiful gem.
God bless you and I love you.
This may be viewed as a positive example of how to handle those parent/stepparent relations, and a reminder that blessings can come out of the most trying situations.