How do I form a bond with my stepkids? I feel like I’m too harsh and t0xic towards them. They provoke me a lot by just doing dumb things, and being that I have no kids, I don’t know what it feels like to nurture children and be a present mother in their lives. I cook, do their laundry, and shop for them, but I don’t feel like that’s enough. Their mom died when the youngest was about 4 months old. I can see that they long for a motherly connection, but I can’t help but get pissed by how clueless and clumsy they are. The father doesn’t make it any easier—he has left the whole parenting to me. I’m so frustrated that I’m having second thoughts about having my own kids. They are aged 8 and 10, a boy and a girl. Any advice will help.
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