12 Stepparents Who Won Over Their Stepkids With TGIF Lunchbox Notes and 10 Years of Simply Being There

My best friend got a stepdad the year we turned twelve, and every afternoon he picked us both up from school without a word, only turning the radio to her station as she got in. A year later she told me he was the only adult who knew her station. These 12 stepparents found their own way in, one small habit at a time.

“Notes that my daughter’s soon-to-be stepmom leaves in her lunchbox every Friday”

My daughter’s soon to be stepmom, Aidan, sends these in her lunch every Friday. I share custody with my ex-husband so we split time with our kiddo. These are from last school year but I have a whole new collection of them from the new school year. I’ll save them for her to look back on one day.

Our daughter is 9, and it took us a bit of time to get here but we have always tried to remain cordial, especially for her sake. It really makes a world of difference!

I try to reinforce that to my daughter as well. She has been a part of her life for a long time, but kids don’t see it from the same perspective as an adult. We are very blessed she’s in our life!

Making it about her happiness really makes a difference.

His mom filmed from across the table as her son gave a wrapped present to the man who was about to marry her. Inside was a card from the boy.

It thanked his bonus dad for loving him as his own and ended with one question: would he adopt him? There is no second part of the video, his mom explained later. Everyone was crying too hard to keep filming. And yes, he said yes.

“My boy asking his bonus dad to adopt him. My heart is so full. Thank you for loving my boy like he’s yours.”

“My stepson called me dad in front of his friends”

I have been with my wife for 4 years. She has a 12 year old son from a previous relationship. He has never hated me, but it’s clear he misses his dad. He’s mainly just called me by my name. I don’t necessarily like it but I would never force him to call me dad.

Today he wanted to go with his friends to an amusement park and he asked me to come with them which already made me happy so of course I said yes. But when his friends got in the car, there was one of them who I’ve never met before, and he introduced me as his dad.

I started smiling when he said that and I think he noticed, because he looked at me and rolled his eyes while laughing. Right now they’re trying to win a big prize at the park and I’m still smiling

I know this isn’t something huge or anything, but this is genuinely one of the happiest days I’ve had in a while.

I’ve been married to my wife for 8.5 years. My SD is now 13. I took the advice of many stepfathers around me and just tried to be a pillar in SD’s life. It’s been hard. Bio Dad takes SD to [a theme park] every year.

But this holiday season he took her on a cruise with his girlfriend. SD got home and after a few hours casually walked by me on the couch and said, “You know what? After going on this trip with Bio Dad I’m for sure that you’re my favorite dad.”

She’s always referred to me by my name. Since she was three, her mom and I started seeing each other. So to hear those words come out of her mouth was shocking in all the best ways.

I’m gonna take her out sometime today and really express how it made me feel and yeah. Just a big day for us!

I (30 F) never wanted kids. I used to swipe left on men with kids.

We took our time before I met his kids. They were 8 and 11 years old.

On the first Mother’s Day after meeting my husband, I made the kids write their mother a letter for Mother’s Day. They came back with a letter for me. A Mother’s Day letter FOR ME. That she made with them.

Seeing my stepdaughter coming back with an envelope and telling me: “WE GOT YOU THIS FOR MOTHER’S DAY! LOOK!”

One night, I painted rocks with golden paint and hid them under their pillows and I told them I found a special rock under my pillow that looked just like it was from a magical universe! They ran to their room and the older found his rock first so the youngest cried and said she wanted it. They fought for like 30 seconds until I said, “Are you sure you don’t have one too under your pillow?”

Now they know it was me but they kept the shiny rocks.

“My (almost 9-year-old) stepson slid this under the door while I was working. I immediately had to stop so I could go give him a big hug.”

My fiancé was smiling all sweetly while he read it — until he got to the end, then he was like 😑😑😑

We all had a good laugh at that PS, let me tell you... the “again, I love you” is probably my favorite part of the note, though, personally

He is OBSESSED with my dog, Ginny, it’s actually the sweetest thing. Ginny is a 4-year-old rescue Corgi. She’s still terrified of anyone and anything she doesn’t know.

Jeremy has been working SO hard since we moved here in October to get Ginny to trust him, and in the last month, Ginny has started cuddling up to him when I read to them at night in bed. I’m so proud of him for how patient and gentle he is with her!

“Mother’s Day At Daycare”

Yesterday was the Mother’s Day “Tea Party” at SDs daycare. I did not expect much as I’m just the stepmom, but she told me that she made two Mother’s Day gifts — one for me, and one for her bio mom.

I asked if I could come earlier, at lunchtime, instead to visit SD so she could give me the gift. They said yes, just bring your own lunch.

SD lit up like a firework and ran to me as soon as she saw me.

SD proudly presented me with the gift and the card she made.

SD asked if she could leave with me, and I told her I “had to go to work”. She got a little upset, but the “Sleepytime” episode from Bluey is what we use for our time apart. I told her, “Remember, I am always with you.”

She said, “Even if I can’t see you.”

And I replied, “Because I love you.”

What a day. What an absolute day.

“My stepdaughter won her middle school art show”

She hasn’t been very sure of her art so I’m hoping this post will show her I’m not just being nice because I’m her stepdad.

She had just gotten done painting a miniature Starry Night on the side of her jewelry box and we watched Nightmare a couple days later. Fast forward a week and she had the hills and sky already started.

She blows me away with her eye. She sees things in ways that I can’t begin to. When she starts talking to me about her ideas (I’m creative but with no artistic outlet lol) she leaves me speechless. Sometimes it’s too ambitious but other times it’s just so technical and clean. I couldn’t be more proud of her.

She loved this! I read it to her and she just smiled so big. Thank you.

I’m hoping we get it back so I can frame it. It’s definitely going to be hung somewhere.

“My stepdaughter accidentally called me ‘dad’ yesterday and it made me cry”

My stepdaughter is 16 now.

I never tried to make myself her dad. She said she didn’t want or need one, and I respected that completely. I assumed I’d always just be the guy her mom was married to that hung out with her sometimes, but since my wife and I have had our son it’s been a little different.

Our son loves his big sister.

I took him to the park yesterday, and he wanted his sister to come with him so the three of us ended up going there together.

The kids were playing catch and at one point the ball ended up getting stuck in a tree, so my stepdaughter (who is very afraid of heights) climbed up to get it out. She got the ball but she was scared to climb back down on her own, so I stood at the base of the tree trying to help her get back to the ground. Before she started to climb down, she looked at me and said “Dad, promise you won’t let me fall.”

I promised, and got her back on the ground in one piece. I’m a grown man but I cried like a baby once the kids were upstairs.

I just really hope that I’ve been the kind of dad that she always deserved.

“The best babysitter ever award goes too...”

My 12 y/o stepson! He wanted a pricey new video game so I told him I’d buy it for him if he watched his 20-month-old baby brother for 2 hours so I could deep clean the apartment. The apartment is spotless, ever cabinet organized, and all old clothes purged.

The whole time I was cleaning I just heard my toddler screaming and laughing with glee in his brothers room. It was the best feeling. Now I am sitting in my super clean living room watching them snuggle while big brother plays his new game. Life is good.

My stepson is pretty incredible. I would not have had a baby if I hadn’t met him and seen how amazing children can be.

“Stepdad on Father’s Day”

My stepson is 7, almost 8, and I’ve been with his Mother for 6 years. So I presume he doesn’t remember me not being around. He spends his weekends at his Dad’s and they have a great relationship.

I was cleaning out his bag from school and found a Father’s Day card he had made. I said, “Ah you forgot to give this to your Dad” ( he won’t get to see him for the day itself). He looked me in the eye and said, “It’s for you, I asked could make an extra one for my Stepdad. I wanted you to have one too.”

I held it together in front of him but boy oh boy did the waterworks start when he went off to play. I’m always questioning myself and everything I do with him, major self confidence issues I’m trying to work on. But just wanted to share that little moment of validation I got, guess I’m doing something right.

On her wedding day, her stepfather walked her the first half of the aisle. Her father was waiting in the middle. The two men hugged, and her stepfather handed her over for the rest of the walk.

“Core memory: My stepfather walking me halfway down the aisle and handing me to my father.”

Stepparents don’t get a day of their own on the calendar, and most of them find out about their place in the family late. At this wedding, the stepfather got half the aisle, one long hug and a moment the bride still calls a core memory.