Comments on: Before I Became a Working Mother, I Was a Working Mother http://workitmom.com/bloggers/36hourday/2008/04/28/watch-where-you-stepmom/ Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:55:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Step kids vs. bio kids: Do you see a difference? - The 36-Hour Day - Work It, Mom! http://workitmom.com/bloggers/36hourday/2008/04/28/watch-where-you-stepmom/#comment-1312 Step kids vs. bio kids: Do you see a difference? - The 36-Hour Day - Work It, Mom! Mon, 20 Oct 2008 04:50:06 +0000 http://workitmom.com/bloggers/36hourday/2008/04/28/watch-where-you-stepmom/#comment-1312 [...] I’ve said before, I was a step mom for years before I gave birth to my youngest children. I’m of mixed ethnicity, and so are my step kids, so we look related, all caramel-colored [...] [...] I’ve said before, I was a step mom for years before I gave birth to my youngest children. I’m of mixed ethnicity, and so are my step kids, so we look related, all caramel-colored [...]

]]> By: Florinda http://workitmom.com/bloggers/36hourday/2008/04/28/watch-where-you-stepmom/#comment-441 Florinda Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:16:01 +0000 http://workitmom.com/bloggers/36hourday/2008/04/28/watch-where-you-stepmom/#comment-441 I came to this kind of backwards. I had one child, raised him through college, and had a couple of years on my own before I "backtracked" into step-motherhood, marrying a man whose children were 10 and 15 years younger than my son. But I absolutely agree that the work of parenting is no different; the main difference is that due to shared custody, it's not being done all the time, every day. There are nights and weekends when the kids are with their mom and she's responsible for them. But when they're with their dad and me, the schedule-juggling, caretaking, and everything else is up to us. So while I may be considered less of a "working mom" by others because I have part-time stepkids, I'm not, and I don't consider <i>myself</i> any less of a working mom. Great topic, Lylah! I came to this kind of backwards. I had one child, raised him through college, and had a couple of years on my own before I “backtracked” into step-motherhood, marrying a man whose children were 10 and 15 years younger than my son.

But I absolutely agree that the work of parenting is no different; the main difference is that due to shared custody, it’s not being done all the time, every day. There are nights and weekends when the kids are with their mom and she’s responsible for them. But when they’re with their dad and me, the schedule-juggling, caretaking, and everything else is up to us.

So while I may be considered less of a “working mom” by others because I have part-time stepkids, I’m not, and I don’t consider myself any less of a working mom.

Great topic, Lylah!

]]> By: Jenni http://workitmom.com/bloggers/36hourday/2008/04/28/watch-where-you-stepmom/#comment-440 Jenni Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:02:48 +0000 http://workitmom.com/bloggers/36hourday/2008/04/28/watch-where-you-stepmom/#comment-440 As a step-parent I know exactly what you mean. Occasionally I get the feeling that some of my coworkers think that I'm not as much of a parent as they are, but they would never blatantly say something about it. I really get hassled more about it by my friends - and occasionally family members that don't understand. If some of my friends want me to do something they just assume I can leave "the kid" at home with her dad. But that's not really the way it works. And that is definitely not the message that I want to send to my step-daughter. I don't have any other kids at this point but I don't want her to ever think back on her childhood and think that she was less important to me than any kids that we may have later. As a step-parent I know exactly what you mean. Occasionally I get the feeling that some of my coworkers think that I’m not as much of a parent as they are, but they would never blatantly say something about it. I really get hassled more about it by my friends - and occasionally family members that don’t understand. If some of my friends want me to do something they just assume I can leave “the kid” at home with her dad. But that’s not really the way it works. And that is definitely not the message that I want to send to my step-daughter. I don’t have any other kids at this point but I don’t want her to ever think back on her childhood and think that she was less important to me than any kids that we may have later.

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