Is being a stepparent created nothing but more misunderstanding and heartbreak, or a bond you never expected? Do people see you as a responsible parent or take your words with a pinch of salt for not having your own children. Have you hidden your feelings because you’re still grieving your childlessness?
HOW DO YOU FEEL as a childless stepparent?
Every childless step parent has their own journey, often with elevated levels of stress, isolation and anxiety and with less of the recognition or traditional routes of support available. Join Alex Willumsen, Lisa Kissane and Joanna Morgan as they share how they uncovered their roles, with one foot in each camp of childlessness and parenthood, never quite sitting comfortably or being fully recognised in each.
Being a stepparent can be a rewarding and fulfilling role, but when you're childless, it can also bring about its own set of complexities and emotions. Join Sandy Michelet, Cara Galbavi and Janet Glaze as they provide guidance, support, and practical strategies to help childless stepparents navigate their journey with confidence and resilience.
This morning as I was cutting up a peach for breakfast, I remembered how my stepson wanted his apples cut up for his sack lunch.
I married a man 15 years my senior. He had had a vasectomy and had 6 children with his then deceased wife.
They came into my life together. I thought it would be the start of my family. A little girl of four years old. I took her on, cooked for her, bought her pretty clothes and fun toys, I bathed her and plaited her hair.
If my childlessness felt unseen in society, and amongst my friends and family already (and it did), then becoming a childless step parent was akin to…
It was Christmas Eve and the decision had been made for me to meet his 3 adult children.
It’s a tough gig, this childless step-parent business. Tougher than I could have imagined and due to so many invisible layers and dynamics, both internal and external.
I have become a Step-Parent twice in my 68 years. My first husband had two lovely children who were quite young - 5 & 7 when I first met him.
Inevitably when I share anything about being childless some well-meaning (although it doesn’t always feel well-meant) person points out that I have three stepsons.
Does anyone ever dream of becoming a stepmom? Not me. But here I am, navigating this adventure with all its twists.
Oh, the naïveté! The sweet, young, innocent ambitions and dreams of a thirty-something new bride.
I became a childless stepparent. When I joined the little family of my husband and his then three-year-old daughter I was brimming with hope that one day I would have a child of our own.
I am a childless stepmother. Being a stepmother is hard. Being a childless stepmother is extremely hard.
I could write multiple chapters sharing my CNBC journey. Today I was asked about being a childless step-parent. Where do I even begin?
After hearing that World Childless Week is observed and specifically the category of Childless Stepparents, I felt compelled to write a submission about my experience.
I have built a great relationship with my stepdaughter E over the past 13 years.
You will never know who I really am, who I could have been had I been your mother.
I was having my hair cut by a friend who owns a salon in our small town. Another friend was having her hair dyed, and we were all chatting.
My grieving journey as a childless woman is interwoven with my journey through adjusting to the realities of having my husband’s two teenage children in my life part-time.
This is just one of the reasons why I think being a stepparent can be very difficult at times.
I am childless due to infertility, miscarriage, and circumstance. My husband has 3 kids, who were 11, 13 and 15 when I came to their father’s life 7 years ago. They have a mother and do not need me to take that role.