Adapted from an online discussion.
Hi Carolyn: I’m a stepmom to two amazing elementary-age kids. Their mom and stepdad just announced they’re having a baby.
My feelings about this are complicated (I chose not to have biological kids due to a genetic condition, and it occasionally still hurts), but mostly I’m worried this will cause the kids’ other parents to sort of forget about our kids. The mom and stepdad are already pretty emotionally unavailable to the kids, so I’m worried they’ll sort of phase them out when their “shared” baby comes along.
My husband and I are very open with the kids and encourage them to always talk to us about their feelings. Other than continuing to keep lines of communication open, what can we do to support these incredible kids if the new baby isn’t entirely a blessing for them? — Worried