Stepparenting

My husband’s ex-wife and I get along fairly well. That’s not to say I call her up for a weekly chat or we go have our nails done. If I have a concern about my stepdaughter I do feel comfortable enough to call her and have a civil discussion. I’m very lucky in this regard.

I wonder though how my stepdaughter feels at the moment, both her mother and I are expecting. Between her mother and I she already has three much younger brothers. The ex-wife is due sometime in March with a “surprise” and we’ll have the same in August. I have a feeling that poor Mikala is going to be surrounded by boys.

How will she feel if it’s a sister and she has to share a room for the first time in her life? She just turned twelve and time is flying, college is no longer a distant concept. Will she feel as though we’re just waiting for her to leave?

This will be the first time she’ll be staying with the respective families as the babies arrive. She’ll be in Minnesota for school and here for the summer, for each of the previous siblings she’s been with the opposite parent. Will her being present be a help or hindrance? She’s at an age where she could be of great help, but I’m always very leery of asking. I worry she’d fall into the Cinderella mindset at times and others I chastise myself for not giving her enough credit.

I must say stepparenting has never been dull. There are always so many other points of view and ramifications to consider. I’ve heard it said that a new sibling is perhaps one of the best forms of birth control available. We can only hope she see these new babies as sources of future adulation. All of her brothers already think she walks on water.