Is it still accurate to say step-child when you have divorced their parent

[Divorcedatlast]

Was just musing this as had my dsd21 over this evening, I separated from now exH a year ago and we are now divorced but I adore dsd, she is my dc’s big sister and I have helped raise her over the past decade - I can still call her my step daughter can’t I ?

Yes you jolly well can! What a lovely relationship!

Of course you can!

Absolutely. You are a lovely person

As Cher's father said in Clueless (one of my favourite films) "You divorce the spouse, you don't divorce the children".

Absolutely. I love my stepmother - she is as much of a parent to me as my biological parents are.

She is now married to someone else, so my kids get even more grandparents.

Of course! If you two get on well why should you end the relationship with her because of her father?

Of course! My Dad married three times... he had wonderful taste in women (they had bad taste in men mind ) and we kept all of our step-mums! I love my remaining one dearly and my children see her as their Nan :)

Yes, I'd say so. My eldest still calls my ex her step-dad, I guess because he was part of the formative years of her childhood. I'm glad they've still got a relationship.

Yes, I've split up with my husband. His kids are still my step kids, and always will be. They are my kids siblings, they are family.

Yes, especially in this case, if you had been together for a couple of years and she was still young probably not but as a critical parent figure in their life you're as important as the bio parents at worse close aunties and uncles

To answer the exact question you have asked, I think it's technically not accurate to call them a step child if you are no longer married to their parent. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't.

I was raised by my Step Dad and mother, and if they split up now I wouldn't stop referring to him as my Step Dad. If he stopped referring to me as his Step Daughter I would be very hurt.

I still call my stepmum my stepmum, even though she's now married to someone else!

I don't need parenting any more so really the "mum" part of the label is redundant too - I see it as representative of how we met and/or the role she played when I did need parenting.