Parental Alienation.. it's a term I see quite a lot in fathers rights and Step-Mum groups, although its certainly not just 'Bio-Mums' who are guilty of this. Parental alienation has many levels of 'severity' and is really just becoming recognised in the UK courts / child welfare systems. CAFCASS are now apparently trained in recognising … Continue reading Accidental Alienation
A fellow step-mum recently prompted me to look back on our first overnight with monster, its very easy now to forget that we haven't always had overnight visits with him and take for granted that at that time.. it was a very big deal. When we first moved into our new house (3 years ago … Continue reading The first overnight
I love my stepson – it was once a choice to try but now it is as natural to me as I imagine his own fathers love for him is, and I certainly couldn’t decide to stop.
Most imperfect (read: all) 'blended families' will inevitably go through tough times where grown up issues or emotions have an impact on our little ones. In an ideal world, of course this would never happen - the adults would keep their issues with each other and allow the children to carry on with their 'normal' … Continue reading Accepting our different
Up until oh about 4 years ago, I was very focused on my career, I had aspirations to travel and work abroad and I definitely saw Director in my future job titles. I wasn't too bothered by work-life balance, I only was worried about getting recognition for the work I did and the hours I … Continue reading Changing Addresses and Priorities
It definitely sounds strange but one of the things I didn't expect in the early days (the unexpected list is an enormous one) was that when we were without our scheduled contact, I would come to really miss the little monster. It hits me at bizarre times, whether the conkers are falling from the trees … Continue reading Monsterless
Being a 'Step-Mum' in a world of 'Real Mums'
Helen, Hel, Helen Belen, Hells Bells, Mummy, Mama, MamaBear, Stepmummy, Mama Helen..., the list of names the little monster calls me is a very long one. I remember, around a year or so ago, the first stage of the monster calling me 'Mummy', honestly I was pretty horrified and extremely uncomfortable with just the concept … Continue reading What’s in a name?
