16 Stepparents Who Managed to Find a Key to Their Stepchildren’s Hearts

For children, having a stepmother or stepfather may be a challenge. After all, it’s not easy to accept a stranger as a family member. Of course, much depends on whether the new spouse of the parent will open their heart to the child. The heroes of this article succeeded in this and were rewarded with reciprocal love.

• I remember the exact moment when I got to love my stepmother. It was the second week of our living together, she was pouring tea and asked me to bring the homemade cake. I, being a sweet tooth, tried to bring it to the kitchen as fast as possible and dropped it with the frosting down in the hall. My stepmother came out to the noise, looked at this, and went back into the kitchen. I cringed.
  But she came back with 2 cups of tea, we were sitting right on the floor and eating this delicious cake. My own mother used to berate me for any tiny mistake. My father’s new wife raised me like her own daughter, always surrounded me with care, love and warmth. © Overheard / Ideer

• My mother passed away when I was in the 4th grade. Less than a year later, my father married for the second time. My stepmother treated me very kindly and affectionately, but I thought she was just showing off in front of my father and thought she was hypocritical, and so did the people around me.
  When I was 14, I had a pretty complicated surgery. When I woke up, I found her sitting next to me, stroking my legs and crying. © Overheard / Ideer
• My mum split up with my dad and got together with her high school sweetheart when I turned 4. I remember my early childhood well! A few months into our life together, I suddenly turned to my stepfather and said, “Dad, can you give me this?” I couldn’t reach something.
  My stepdad confessed later that he cried, because no one had asked me to call him Dad. And I just decided that he was my dad now. And he has been ever since! I don’t even think about my biological father. My new dad went to my school events, showed me off to his family, bragged about me, taught me about life and helped me stay on track, and now he’s teaching me how to drive.
  I cry when I think about the fact that he was 25 years old and liked to party, and then there was my mom and me. He turned his life around for us! He found a stable job, a house, started his own company, became a huge success. Many men wouldn’t give up their lifestyle for a woman with a child. © OhSoInfinitesimal / Reddit
• When I was 8 years old, my mom got married for the second time. I was very hostile toward my stepfather. He was a nice man, but the very thought of him taking Dad’s place drove me crazy. Mom was torn between us.
  It wasn’t until I was 10 when everything changed. It happened when he came to school to defend me from the teacher. I started ignoring him less often, agreed to go for walks together a couple of times. That same year, on his birthday, I made him a present for the first time: I gave him an envelope with a card where I wrote, “Will you adopt me?”
  It was the first time I saw a grown man crying while tucked into the shoulder of a little girl. A month later, he became my dad, and after that my daddy. © Not everyone will understand / VK

• My parents divorced when I was 4 years old. Dad left the family and married another woman. But I didn’t grow up with psychological trauma. My dad spent a lot of time with me, my stepmother was cool, she loved me very much, she invented all sorts of entertainments just for the 2 of us with my dad.
  I love both my brother and sister from that side very much. I grew up in a healthy atmosphere of love and comfort, and this is the most important thing! © Overheard / Ideer
• My father left us when I was 4. My mom remarried. And I got some stupid jealousy, I was always doing everything to spite my stepfather. I complained about him to my mom a lot.
  She couldn’t stand it and suggested they get divorced. I was listening under the door and was so happy! But then I heard my stepfather say that he couldn’t live without us, and it would be hard for us financially. After graduating from high school, I entered university, not without the help of my stepfather’s friends. Everyone at home was happy, and we decided to celebrate this event in a cafe.
  In the third year, I got pregnant, but my boyfriend refused to marry me. I was ashamed to admit it to my parents, especially to my mom. By this time, having grown up, I changed my opinion about my stepfather a little, but I was still rude to him out of habit.
  But at this difficult moment of my life, I realized that he was the only person I could talk to. And I was right. It was the first time that we talked frankly. I felt very guilty and asked him to forgive me. For all these years, my own father had never once remembered about me. I gave birth to my son, finished my studies, my parents helped me with everything.
  This year my son is going to school for the first time, and we are all preparing for this event, especially his grandfather. They are very attached to each other. The love of my grandson is probably a compensation to my stepfather for what I did. And from myself, I want to say, “I’m sorry, Dad!”. © Larisa / Ispovedi
• I never got along with my stepmother. I was 13 when my dad met her. I didn’t accept her and pushed her away. When I was 19, I began to paint.
  On my 20th birthday, she arranged a surprise: she gathered all my friends, relatives and acquaintances and organized an exhibition of my works in her gallery! I was delighted, and my heart began to melt. © Chamber 6 / VK

• When I was a teenager, my mom used to scold and call me names all the time. I got used to it. My mom and dad didn’t live together, they both had other families.
  My dad at that time also started to scold me for my grades, but my stepmother stood up for me and said, “Stop it! If you tell a person they’re a pig, they’ll sit down and squeak. She’s smart and talented.”
  I cried. Many years have passed since then, and we are still close with my stepmother, while the relationship with my parents is still strained. © Overheard / Ideer
• My parents divorced when I was 10 years old. My mom moved to another country for work and left me with my dad. And then my dad married again.
  His new wife was 14 years younger than him, and I thought she was a gold digger. I didn’t like my stepmother and didn’t treat her well. Until one day she rescued me from a fire, even though she was badly injured.
  After that incident, she became the best mom in the world to me. My own mom judged me, but she saw me once or twice a year. My stepmom, on the other hand, became a real mom to me. This life lesson taught me not to judge people at first sight. © Mamdarinka / VK
• In 8th grade, I wanted to become a straight-A student, but I was pretty bad at math. I often cried, and my mom reassured me, “Don’t worry, we’ll think of something. You will be a straight-A student.” And the most interesting thing is how this problem was solved: she married my math teacher.
  My stepfather explained math to me every evening and in such a way that I understood everything. So, I became a straight-A student. I graduated from school with honors and in university I was good at higher math as well thanks to my stepfather. That’s how my mom solved my math problems. © Not everyone will understand / VK

• My father was a very influential man. He was strict not only at work, but also with his family and loved ones. When I was 3 years old, my mom decided to leave him. So my father said he would never give me to her.
  Mom accepted this and left. She called me once a week, sent me presents. But after that I only saw her when I was 18, when she came to “meet” me. That’s when I learned the story. My mom expected me to feel sorry for her, but I couldn’t.
  Because I already had a mom. Or rather, a stepmother. She too, after a couple of years of marriage, wanted to leave my father. And my dad strictly forbade her to even come near me if she left. She had no rights over me, but she decided to stay for me.
  My stepmother became the most affectionate, kind, gentle mom in the world. We communicated a lot, went out and played together. She always tried to protect me, to take any blame. But I knew that she and my father even slept in different rooms.
  When I turned 18, she divorced my dad, and we moved into her one-bedroom flat together. And we are happy. So I can’t feel sorry for my biological mother, who chose her own life over mine. © Chamber 6 / VK
• Junior year of high school, my dad got remarried to the woman he’d cheated on my mom with several years prior. As an angsty teenager, I was none too thrilled with his new marriage and was honestly pretty cold towards her whenever we saw each other. A year later, my dad was taking me to the airport on my way to college, and my stepmom took off work to meet us there and send me off with a care package.
  She hugged me and told me that she was proud of me, and when she stepped back, I saw that she had tears in her eyes. It was at that moment that I realized that she wasn’t a bad a person, even if she (and my dad) had done some bad things in the past. Our relationship improved dramatically after that, and now she’s like a second mother to me. © OldSaintNickCage / Reddit
• I am a stepmother, and the child turns only to me with all his personal problems. It’s sad. I’m teaching his dad to talk to him too.
  On the other hand, I understand that it’s easier for me: I can see the situation from the outside, and have less responsibility, so it’s easier to find a common language when you are not responsible for the child 24/7. But it’s still sad.

• My parents divorced when I was 14, but they remained friends, no drama. I was old enough to understand everything, and together we decided who I would live with. Mom moved in with another man after a while. I stayed with my dad, now we live together with my stepmom.
  I like everything, my stepmom is a great woman. We communicate well with my mom, she comes often, helps me with money, buys me clothes. Her man’s not bad either.
  It’s so annoying when other people start saying about my mom, “What kind of mother is she? How could she leave her own kid?” And I have a wonderful life, I have a good relationship with my parents. But other people, of course, know better. © Chamber 6 / VK
• My family is not like the others. I have 2 moms and 2 dads. The thing is that my parents divorced when I was 13 years old. They separated peacefully, they just realized that they didn’t love each other anymore and didn’t want to suffer. After the divorce, each of them met their significant other.
  The second marriage worked out well for both parents. At the same time, the stepmother and stepfather treat me with love and care, as well as my parents. And I know for a fact that I can turn with my problems to each of my “parents.”
  Now I am a mother myself, and I am very grateful that they created such a warm family atmosphere despite all the difficulties. © Not everyone will understand / VK
• I was a terrible stepdaughter. I drove all father’s girlfriends crazy. They would run away crying, “This child is a monster!”
  One day, he got another girlfriend. She was quiet and shy. But she pissed me off too, and I made her cry. So, I’m sitting in my room, and hear the sobbing has stopped.
  Then there’s a knock on the door. She’s standing there asking for help because she loves my father... She was the first person who asked for my help, she’s now my favorite family member. © Overheard / Ideer

And here’s another bunch of stories about stepparents who can be the best parents ever.