Being one of three girls, I grew up with nothing but girly things, (sorry Dad). Yes, one of my sisters ended up being a 'tomboy' but we definitely had more Barbie dolls than sporting equipment in the house. And sure I played with WWE figurines just as much as the neighborhood boys with whom I traded my Macho Man Randy Savage for the newest British Bulldog (no brainer, right?).
So when we got married, I had no idea what to expect from my husband's kids, especially then 12yr old boy, J. He never says much, keeps to himself and his Xbox and frankly, we don't have much in common. I'm this outgoing, cheery and sometimes opinionated Canadian girl who works in the beauty industry, in other words, I don't knew what a soccer ball looked like but rarely got passed the uniform colors. While he is the calm, cool and soccer type.
I've been in their lives for nearly 3 years and it's been an incredible journey. I've learned more from both of my step kids than I could have imagined. It's hard to know if I'm doing a good 'job' with them... Not being their 'mother' but still playing such an important role at this insanely crazy teenage stage is a huge undertaking. I accept I have my limits and I might not have all the answers but... I am doing my best.
So, despite this 15yr old man child's quiet and reserved existence, he made my heart melt when I opened my birthday card and read these 2 words, in his own handwriting... "Love you, J."
Hooray for me! I'm doing something right by him. According to my loving husband, the boy wasn't even coaxed/threatened/bribed into writing it. Totally on his own volition. And that, my friends, is good (parental) stuff. :-)
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