Celebrate Stepmothers!

Here at Banjo HQ, we think it’s important to celebrate stepmothers today, on Mother’s Day, and every other day of the year. We also talk a lot about what family means. All of ours are different- and each one has its own strengths and complexities. On Mother’s Day, people often reflect on their own parenting; if we’re lucky, we get to be celebrated by those around us. You might treat yourself to breakfast in bed or receive a flurry of handmade cards and scavenged daffodils. For stepmothers though, it might not be quite so straightforward.

As stepmothers, our roles aren’t always easy to define. We love and support our families, but there can be a rocky road to co-parenting in a way which suits everyone. We have to accept that there might be tricky feelings from all sides, and we may be negotiating complicated relationships between step-siblings too.

There are some brilliant children’s books out there which explore blended families. Ask your local bookseller for their recommendations or check out this wonderful article by Katrina Wittcamp for Read Brightly. Thankfully, people are starting to re-write the narrative which Cinderella and co. have perpetuated for generations about stepmothers as evil interlopers. In fact we have done just that here in our blog post ‘If Cinderella had a Great Stepmother…’. As this conversation evolves and we work out new ways to parent, we must keep making space for every different type of mum!

All of our families look different and that’s one of life’s great joys. Let’s remember that this Mother’s Day- and every day!