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My stepkids feel like second-class kids in our blended family

CAanon_blended1 month ago

Three kids, two of his, one of mine. The two stepkids tell me they feel like 'visitors.' We don't mean to make them feel that way.

2 replies

deepwater1 month ago

Two small things that helped us: (1) Each kid had a permanent 'place' in our house — a drawer, a shelf, a hook, even when they were only with us part time. (2) We stopped saying 'their' mom and 'my' kid in conversation and used the kids' names. Subtle linguistic shift but our kids felt it.

willow_oak1 month ago

Family therapist that specialized in blended families was worth every dollar. Eight sessions over six months and the dynamic shifted.

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Please readThis is a community space for sharing personal experience — it is not legal advice, and posts here are not from Lawma or your attorney. We strongly encourage you to post under an anonymous handle, keep questions general, and avoid posting private details of your active case. For advice about your own situation, message your attorney.