To ask your experiences with step parents (or parenting) after the "our baby"?

[DrFruity]

Looking for the experiences of anyone in this situation, so step children who's parent went on to have DC with their step parent, step parents themselves, anyone who's DC have a step parent who now has DC with their children's other parent, whatever...

Did the situation change when the joint child was born? And how so?

Just looking to see what is normal and what not. I'm not looking for a bashing thread, just genuinely curious as someone in this situation.

I have a DSS, now 18, our DS is 8.

DSS spent more time at our house…. Initially due to logistics, then down to his choice. Previously he was with us 2-3 nights a week, and it became more like 5-6.

We were conscious that although we could do some stuff as a family, as DS got to be a toddler there wasn’t always a lot of overlap between activities for both of them. So, making sure that sometimes we/DH did activities just with him.

During his teenage years DH was away quite a lot during the week for work, so DSS and I used to watch a lot of the DC superhero tv series together - not something I’d watch on my own, but it was nice for us to do something together once DS was in bed.

It wasn’t always easy, and I don’t think a blended family is ever how you picture your family being, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.