She's one of the great cultural villains; the evil stepmother. Stepmums are up against it. Besides fighting bad press generated by endless pop-culture references, they're chucked in the deep end of parenting without a life boat.
Yumi Stynes meets stepmothers who've experienced the joy of loving their partner's child as well as the difficulty of slotting into a 'mum' role when the kids already have one.
Plus, researcher Dr Bailey Oliver Blackburn explains the challenges of stepmothering, from responsibility without authority to constant comparison and feeling excluded.
This episode is a celebration of the unique role that stepmums play and offers some tools to navigate a complex family dynamic.
What to listen to next:
Breaking the motherhood contract
Mental health: Overcoming depression
Mental health: Anxiety and how to beat it
Mental health: Loving someone with an addiction
You can binge more episodes of Ladies, We Need to Talk on the ABC listen app (in Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts.
What to read next:
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This mini-series will answer questions like:
This episode contains references to stepmothers, stepmom, stepmum, wicked stepmother, stepfamily, family, parenting, blended families, anxiety, stress, pregnancy, Cinderella, Parent Trap, Rapunzel.
