Since it’s February, and one of the toughest months to get through in Minnesota (think cold, gray, Seasonal Affective Disorder, cabin fever), I am making a list of the things I need to get through the rest of the winter. When I spend weeks at a time fighting below zero temps (it hit -33 degrees on one particular night in January), I spend a lot more time indoors with the people I love than usual. Perhaps a few items on my list belong in my fantasies, but hey…you have to start somewhere, right?!!
Keeping me healthy, happy and sane is in my family’s best interests. Here is what I need from my fellow cold-weather inmates (husband, skids) to be the best stepmother I can be.
- Offer to help with chores or simply do them without asking me what needs to be done.
- Give me afternoons off to see my friends or get a massage.
- Tell me about your day after you’ve swallowed your food.
- Stay at your mom’s house for the month of February. (Haha just kidding.)
- Say “hi” to me when you come in the room I’m in, not just, “where’s Dad?”
- Smile or make a joke.
- Remember that spring will eventually come and with it games outside, trips to the park, grill outs on the deck.
- Compliment me about something. Anything.
- Ask my advice.
- Thank me for the toilet paper, the groceries, the light bulbs in your bedrooms, the clean clothes, the heat in the house.
Becoming A Stepmom 
AMEN! I can especially relate to numbers 1-10. Yep–all of them. Maybe this is what we should be asking for Valentine’s Day. A simple hello when my skid walks past me would be the perfect gift.
Thanks for making me realize I’m not the only one struggling through Feb.
IR
You’re list could have been written by me. I especially relate to #5. At our house it’s not just – “where’s Dad? – It’s “where’s my Dad? Thank you for sharing your list and not being afraid to speak the truth on your site. Your site has really helped me realize that I’m not the only Step-Mom that has these feelings.