If you’re a step mom then you know exactly what the send off is. It’s the day where the kids return to the mothership and you can bask in the next 7 days of peace and bliss. You can take advantage of that much needed alone time with your man. You can pat yourself on the back and raise a glass because baby – you made it another week without killing the ex, the kids, hating yourself, or throwing in the towel and calling it quits.
I can’t feel bad for this feeling, at least not anymore because I know better. But, I used to feel like a horrible person. Oh so many times I wanted to #Fridaydoproff on Facebook but didn’t because I knew it would probably hurt some feelings or create backlash. You know how everything offends people these days. Our struggle is a quiet one where our feelings have no real place to go and no one understands how we feel.
I was at my boyfriend’s work enjoying some food with him when a fellow step mom came in just to shoot the shit. She poured herself a cup of chips and said with a sigh of relief “the kids go back to their mom today”, what followed was an uncontrollable “YESSS GIRL!” and an eye roll from my boyfriend. Let’s be honest here, when I woke up this morning I smiled because it was drop off day. To be able to openly share that with another stepmom – that feeling is incomparable. This also led me to consider about how we always seem to hide our true thoughts and feelings in this subject. We don’t want to offend anyone, especially our significant other, and we know that no one will understand so we celebrate on the inside.
But honestly, we shouldn’t feel bad for being excited about a break from stepping in to raise someone else’s children like the total awesome women we are. When they are here, my work schedule revolves around them, my life schedule revolves around them – everything revolves around them! I’m their biggest cheerleader at swim practice, I’m paying for their piano lessons out of my own personal pocket, I’m wiping their snotty nose because they’ve had a cold all week, and I’m shooting smiles to all the judgmental moms every morning at drop off who just don’t get it. I’ve lasted the 7 days of bio mom calling to spend 30 minutes on the phone with toddlers at the worst times – 20 of that spent in silence – either because she’s weird or listening to what’s going on in the background, that’s just who she is.
Drop off is my freedom, I don’t feel bad about it and neither should you. So here’s to you fellow stepmom, raise a glass, enjoy your break and pat yourself on the back for totally killing it as usual – you deserve it! ❤
Photo By: Kelsey Chance
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