Finding Love Amidst the Chaos:
A Journey From Single Mom to Stepmom

Transitioning from Solo Parenting to Pursuing Partnership

I was always independent growing up. I didn’t ask for help because the few times I did, I was told, “Figure it out by yourself.” And so I did.

When I became pregnant, my son’s dad didn’t want anything to do with him. He didn’t see that as “his job” to care for a child. And so, I took on all the decision-making process on my own.

Most of the time, I didn’t mind being the sole decision-maker. Sure, this put a lot of pressure on me to decide if this was a good idea to let Sebastien play outdoors unsupervised (we lived out in the country — no sidewalks), whether it was OK to eat cereal for dinner or to work 12 hours a day to support my family of two.

But deep inside, I felt an underlying void — the absence of companionship. I wanted someone I could talk about what I was going through, share life experiences, and have fun. I wanted a life partner to grow old with. I also didn’t want my son to fill in the void I was feeling or to be a burden to him in my later years.

Rediscovering Romance: A New Journey Unfolds

My coworkers kept nudging me to get back out there. So, I thought, why not? And I signed up with this dating agency. Believe it or not, they still used pen, paper, and phone calls! They even had this super long 8-page questionnaire I had to fill out.

It was interesting that filling out that application forced me to stop and think about what I wanted. I had to get into the nitty-gritty — who did I want to hang out with, what values were important to me, and did I even want more kids? It was the first time I’d ever really dug into those questions.

So, after a few not-so-great experiences, I finally got matched with Bernard. Now, that first date was an experience I’d never had. Picture this: we both showed up at the restaurant right at the same time. I was about to walk through the door when this guy turned around and asked if I was Claudette. I said yes, and you know what? He held the door open for me. Then he helped me with my winter coat and even pulled out my chair at the table. Quite the gentleman, right?

I mention all this because I’d honestly never been treated this well before. I mean, the way Bernard was so attentive and considerate was just…nice, you know? His manners and how he paid attention to the little things made me think, “This guy is pretty special.”

Honestly, that night exceeded all my expectations. We were just there, chatting away about our hopes, dreams, and what we were looking for in life and love. We even got into why our first marriages didn’t work out. The whole evening was real, full of honesty, mutual trust, and support. It felt good, really good.

Navigating Through the Blend: The Highs and Lows of Stepfamily Life

As we got more serious, we couldn’t stay away from each other! We thought, ‘Why not introduce the kids to each other?’ After all, with all the love we had going on, we figured they’d be over the moon about us and would get along just fine.

We knew that merging families wouldn’t be a walk in the park, but our love had us feeling invincible. Boy, were we in for a wake-up call when that picture-perfect dream bumped into the real world.

Not long after we started living together, our parenting styles clashed, and arguments about discipline and chores kicked in. It was as if we were two separate families, just living under the same roof.

Here’s the thing, I was accustomed to organizing the house around my work schedule and only dealing with my son’s needs. It never crossed my mind that I had to check with my partner or his kids about what worked for them. And to top it off, the girls’ mom wanted a say in things. Didn’t see that one coming. I guess that’s what I get for being used to my son’s dad being hands-off. Bit of a blind spot, I’ll admit.

We decided to seek help from a family therapist, naively believing it to be the magic solution. Wrong. The therapist, unfamiliar with the intricacies of stepfamily dynamics, treated us like a traditional family.

And then the girls’ mom got involved, and I started feeling like a total outsider. Petty arguments became our new norm, and before we knew it, we were paying more attention to what was going wrong instead of what was right.

Turning Chaos into Change: My Pledge to Transformation.

Seeing our marriage teetering on the edge, I knew I had to do something. I didn’t want our kids growing up thinking you ditch a relationship at the first sign of trouble. I wanted to show them that a solid relationship takes guts, grit, and a lot of elbow grease.

I looked around and realized that there were hardly any examples of successful stepfamilies to look up to. So, I decided to go back to school. For the next nine years, I soaked up everything I could about stepfamilies and relationships. We’re talking communication skills, dealing with arguments, setting up boundaries — the whole nine yards.

As I started to learn more, I put it all into practice. Things got better. But I won’t lie; I messed up—a lot. And sometimes, I still do. But I decided to take those blunders, figure out where I went wrong, and learn from them.

All of this brought me to where I am now — a stepfamily coach since 2006, helping others who found themselves in the same boat as me. Seeing their relationships get stronger, just like mine did, has been truly heartwarming.

I have to say, though, there’s no magic formula for stepfamilies. We all grapple with similar issues, like who disciplines the kids or whether the couple or the kids come first. But every stepfamily has unique challenges, like feeling left out, dealing with expectations, and much more.

What makes each family unique is their values, beliefs, and preferences. And your own life? That shapes how you fit into this jigsaw puzzle we call family and how you get along with everyone. I see stepfamilies as a micro-community — AKA — a mini family within the big, wider family. I’ll get more into that in my future posts. Stay tuned!

Enjoying the Fruits of Hard Work: A Strong and Healthy Family, one STEP at a Time

So, here we are now, my husband and I. We’re not just going strong; we’re absolutely thriving! Best friends for life. And our kids, grandkids, and even their other halves? Our bond is stronger than ever. It wasn’t easy, sure, but I wouldn’t trade a single step of this journey for the world.

You can read more about my work and what I offer at www.stepmomcoach.com