In Their Shoes

A woman I was talking to clearly was wrestling with her childhood. Her parents divorced when she was young. Her mother was devastated; her father quickly married and threw himself into "his new family." This woman became her mom's caretaker and hated her stepmom. No one was safe for her. Parents in complex families do a better job when they step inside their children's shoes, consider how they feel, and remain a stable presence. The transitions for them are hard. They need you to understand.