On the occasion of Mother's Day I thought I might take this moment to thank my Step Mother. I would like to thank her for being a part of my life, because I know she has played a huge part in raising me to be who I am today. They say being a parent is tough, try being a parent to someone else's kid, while that someone else is still in the picture, that's hard. Step parents usually get a bad reputation, especially Step Mothers (Cinderella, Snow White, The Parent Trap). However, It seems I have hit the jackpot when it comes to Step Moms.
She came into our lives when I was 10. She helped my Dad get back on his feet and always respected my relationship with my father. Now that may seem like a strange thing to say, but my father had had a few girlfriends before and to say they didn't like me was putting it lightly (not that I really liked them either). One even had the nerve to ask my Dad if he really needed to get me every weekend. Let's just say, she wasn't there the following weekend. My Step Mom NEVER made me feel unwelcome or out of place when I visited. Not only has she become a part of our family but she has made me a part of hers. She comes from a closely knit family and would always bring me to visit her parents when they were alive; and her siblings. Her entire family has always welcomed me with open arms into their family, and I love them all dearly.
My Step Mom fills my Dad's home with warmth, laughter and wonderful, glorious food. To say she is is good cook is an understatement. I don't know what I did in a past life to deserve the distinct pleasure of growing up having two mothers who are both fantastic cooks. She also puts up with my Dad's crazy antics. She takes care of him and tries to keep him out of trouble. Really, I couldn't ask for more.
Now, she never had kids of her own. She got me when I was 10 and then a couple years later she made my Dad get her a dog for her birthday. Otis is undoubtedly her son. That dog is one of the best things that ever happened to our family. He's one of those dogs that makes you think he is human with his big eyes and quick wit. He is certainly a member of our family that we only have because of my Step Mom.
Now as I mentioned before, being a step parent is hard, especially when both birth parents are still in the picture. My Step Mom has always had this respect for boundaries. Even if she didn't agree with my mom on something, she never said anything in front of me. At one point she even dubbed my mother her "Ex-Wife-in-Law". Having my mothers get along certainly made my childhood much happier.
Because she wasn't a "primary parent", my Step Mom got to be the cool parent. She took me to my first real concert, she took me to the beach for the first time. She took me to my first PG-13 movie at the theater. She also came to every game, every concert, every play that I was in. Usually I had my little cheering section of my two Moms and my Dad (and for softball games, Otis was always there too). She has always supported me yes during sports and arts when I was younger but even more so when I was choosing a school and choosing a major. I believe she is often the voice of sounding reason that makes my father see my side of things when he doesn't agree with my decisions. She has especially been supportive of me over this last year as I have studied in France.
So on Mother's Day, I just wanted to take this opportunity thank her for choosing to be my Step Mom. Because my life with her in it is far better than it ever could be without her.
