Stepmothers get a bad rap sometimes — we’re looking at you, Cinderella! But those who belong to beautifully blended families know that stepmoms are as much an integral part of a loving family as any other. And if you’re a stepmom yourself or the child of one, you’re certainly in good company. As of the latest data collected, 12% of moms in the United States are stepparents and 42% of adults in general have a step-relationship, according to Smart Stepfamilies.
But that doesn’t mean the role is always easy. Stepparents have to navigate challenges like differing parenting styles, biological parents who might challenge their participation in the family and stepchildren who have a hard time adjusting. It’s a job that requires patience, humility, flexibility, inner strength and lots and lots of love.
That’s why, this Mother’s Day, it’s so important to show your stepmom (or your stepkids, for all the stepmamas out there) how much they really mean to you. We found a collection of sweet, funny, heartfelt and heartstring-tugging stepmom quotes that shed some light on what this unique parenting role is all about. Try using your favorite as the caption for a touching Instagram post on Mother’s Day, to punch up that pretty card to go with a gift for your stepmom, or even to read through together over Mother’s Day brunch. We appreciate you, stepmothers, and hope you have a Mother’s Day as special as you are!
“Remember why you chose to come together in the first place — the love that you have for your partner. Your partner’s children are an extension of them, and this makes them just as important to your happiness.”
RELATED: 60 of the Best Quotes About Family
“Family isn’t defined only by last names or by blood; it’s defined by commitment and by love.”
“I am a stepmother to the fullest extent.”
“Little souls find their way to you, whether they’re from your womb or someone else’s.”
“However motherhood comes to you, it’s a miracle.”
“Co-parenting is not a competition. It’s a collaboration of two homes working together with the best interest of the child at heart. Work for your kids, not against them.”
“Step parents are not around to replace biological parent, rather to augment a child’s life experience.”
“Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother.”
“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.”
“Who cares if another woman or man loves your child, plays with your child or builds a healthy relationship with your child? Either way, your child is benefiting.”
“That’s one of the things [Joe Biden and I] have in common. My children don’t call me stepmom, they call me Momala. We’re a very modern family. Their mom is a close friend of mine. Joe and I have a similar feeling that really is how we approach leadership: family in every version that it comes.”
“There’s no clear road map to being a stepmother.”
“A good stepmom is not made — she is built. She is built by the hardships of her role, the tears she cries in secret and by the lessons she learns through trial and error.”
“Understand that your role is transitional. … Some days you’re going to be the leading lady. Some days you’re just going to be a stagehand. And some days you’re not going to be in the scene at all. The quicker you realize that, the better off you’ll be.”
“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life.”
“Family isn’t something that’s supposed to be static, or set. It’s always evolving, turning into something else.”
“They are not my stepchildren. They are my children who came into this world before I met them.”
“From the moment I became a stepmother, my purpose has been to love and protect these children with everything I have.”
“Disney has been lying to little girls. Stepmothers are not scary, nannies are not magical and dwarfs do not let you spend the night at their house without expecting something.”
“The only steps in this house are the stair steps, and the only half in this house is the half-and-half creamer.”
Lizz Schumer
Senior editor
Lizz Schumer is the senior editor for Good Housekeeping, and also contributes to Woman’s Day, and Prevention, covering pets, culture, lifestyle, books, and entertainment.
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io
