I am a stepmother and, if I'm being honest, it's not something I ever dreamed of being. I don't think any stepmom does.

As a young child, I didn't carry around my baby doll pretending I was its second mother. We don't dream of being a stepmom in the same way we dream of being moms. In our dreams, we're the mom our children know first; the only mom they'll ever come to love. We don't dream of being second. Being a stepmom means someone's first dream has ended in heartache.

But here I am — grateful to be a stepmom by design.

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