What's in a name?

Last summer, before my husband and I got married, my stepdaughter started thinking about what she would call me. I didn't ask her to give me a new or special name, but she thought it might be necessary. She and I bounced a few ideas around and had some laughs in the process. She came up with the name steppy as an abbreviation for step-mommy. Ok, she doesn't actually call me steppy, but we occasionally do share it as an awfully cute story at dinner parties.

I am six months into stepmotherhood. When people asked me prior to the wedding whether or not I was nervous or apprehensive about becoming a stepmom, I said, "No way! This is easy!" In fact, I was honestly surprised people would even ask. I jumped in with both feet. I admit, I do have things easy. I have a great husband and wonderful stepdaughter. Even though I feel I have a rather ideal scenario, I have struggled with my transition into this role. Over the past few months, I've asked myself a number of questions. What does it mean to be an effective parent? What is my role when it comes to parenting? How do I honor the relationship my husband has with his daughter while forging a relationship with my stepdaughter? How do I balance work, marriage, and being a step-parent?

As I am avid self-help reader, I searched and found several books/websites on step-parenting. Much of what I read, however, focused on blended families. I found it hard to relate as this is my first (and only) marriage, and my stepdaughter is quite young. So, I decided to start this blog as way to reflect on my own experiences and work through the answers to some of the questions I've been asking myself.

-Steppy