Happy summer! David and I have been away enjoying the sun. We even went to Hawaii for a week of fun with our kids who live in Alaska. We rarely get to see them. It was wonderful to reconnect in a beautiful place.
As we age, (yes, we are getting older) we think of how far we’ve come from those early years of stepcoupling with five full time kids. My goodness, that was hard! The mix of interfering ex-spouses, demanding kids, competition for attention, hassles at the dinner table, and day-to-day life sometimes felt overwhelming. The kids all took turns at being angry and sneaky. We had a big silver and burgundy colored Chevvy van and I was the chauffeur with no less than 5 or 6 kids wanting to be driven somewhere. There were times I didn’t know if I could survive. I still believe the only way we made it was date night. Love, romance, good food that I didn’t cook, a glass or two of wine, and time for conversation. We always came home rejuvenated.
Now it’s just the two of us. The kids are grown with families of their own. And the best part is that we all get along now. The kids check-in with us often, hang out, share information and stories about their lives. I never believed I would get to this place when we were in the thick of “stepfamily chaos”. We did it though, and I’m grateful every day.
Life is good…very good.
I wish the same for your stepfamily. I encourage you to schedule your date night today and make it a regular time for re-connection. Your stepcouple is the foundation of your stepfamily. Keep it strong!
Have a good summer and a fantastic date night!
Susan and David enjoying a date night in New Orleans, David’s home town.
