In this episode, a good friend and fellow stepmom Kali joins us to discuss how she dealt with becoming an InstaMOMMY to her 4 stepkids when she and her husband met, followed by having a child of her own. She also shares with us (and luckily all of you) how she has managed to have a great relationship with the bio mom in her life. Having a great relationship with a bio mom is what we all want, but are there challenges with that too? You betchya. Kali shares with us how she holds boundaries with her husband, stepkids, and biomom to feel peace and harmony in a very complex situation.
Woven throughout this episode are also answers to many of your questions submitted on Instagram. Including (but def not limited to):
Balancing your needs with your stepkids
How to handle disengaging and avoiding feelings of resent towards your stepkids, partner, or bio-parent
Dealing with high-conflict situations & staying sane
How our families embraced our stepkids & what that looks like
Outsider feelings from other "moms"
Avoiding becoming a full mediator between your partner and their ex
Saying "no" more often
The people who say "you knew what you were getting into"