10/08/2026
I’m learning to be the mom my kids need while healing the little girl who needed more, too.
Being a mom and a stepmom is hard. I love these two more than anything in the world, but loving them doesn’t mean I always know what I’m doing. Sometimes I’m figuring it out while working through feelings I didn’t realize I was still carrying.
Motherhood helped me understand something: I was never the problem. I was a little girl who needed comfort, reassurance, and love she could feel. I can recognize that while still appreciating everything my parents did for me.
Now I’m trying to give my kids that emotional safety while encouraging them to believe in themselves and want better for their lives. Sometimes I’m too tough. Sometimes my worry comes out louder than my love. I’m learning to listen, soften, and apologize when I get it wrong.
Building my business and changing careers is part of what I want to show them. You’re allowed to change your mind. Start over. Pivot. The life you chose at one age doesn’t have to be the life you choose forever.
I never want them to feel stuck doing something they hate or staying in a relationship that isn’t right for them. You can love someone and still choose to leave. You can work hard for something and still decide you want something different. That doesn’t make you a failure.
Life is good. And there is so much good still ahead, even when you can’t see it yet.
And yes, my kids may have things to unpack in therapy someday. 😂 If they do, I hope they feel free to be honest—even about me. I want to understand their hurt, too.
What I hope they never have to question is how deeply they are loved. Both of them. More than anything in this world.
Maybe being the mom I needed starts here: making sure they know they don’t have to earn my love. ❤️
