Joomla! site syndication http://childlessstepmoms.org 2010-02-09T06:20:51+01:00 http://childlessstepmoms.org http://childlessstepmoms.org/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png text/html 2007-06-17T20:46:59+01:00 http://childlessstepmoms.org http://childlessstepmoms.org/content/view/41/ Hi!Welcome to Childless Stepmoms! We were founded in 2004 when in my frustration I began searching the web for information about stepmoms who don't have biological (or adopted) children of their own. For the second time in my life I found myself the stepmom to three children. Experience was not making it any easier the second time. For one thing, the situations were very different. In the first situation my ex-husband did not have custody of his children. In this one, my two youngest stepchildren had just moved in with us after an eighteen month custody dispute. There had been a lot of parental alienation. The children had been lied to about us. We have very different values than their biological mother and the adjustment was difficult for all of us. My husband was overwhelmed. He began to 'zone out' abdicating all child related matters to me. I turned to the internet for information...There were a lot of stepfamily message boards. They were helpful, but if a Childless Stepmom dared to speak negatively about child support, the children or ex-wife she was often attacked by the stepmoms with children of their own. On a positive note, I did see that there were other frustrated Childless Stepmoms. I was not alone. Don't underestimate the power of that knowledge. If you are a Childless Stepmom let me assure you, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. We know what you feel. We know how confusing it can get. We know you may be at a point where it feels like you v. them. We're here to help. We've been where you've been. Welcome home!My training as a social worker told me that these Childless Stepmoms, including myself, needed to vent in an atmosphere of nonjudgemental support before they could move on to problem solving. We can not problem solve effectively in the midst of intense anger, disappointment and hurt.I started a Yahoo! discussion group. In a couple of months we had over 200 members. It was obvious there was a need. I created a website and through it we have educated millions regarding what it means to be a Childless Stepmom. In our online community we have shared stories, helped and been helped by the over 3,000 women who have graced us with their words. If you are a Childless Stepmom, we hope you will join us in our online community. There is no cost involved. I remember those early years when most of the budget went to child support. If you can help, your donations are welcome and appreciated (upper right). If you are here to browse, browse away. We welcome you!Sincerely,Christina Chopin, LSW