Dennis O'Brien
Warrenton Journal

Mother's Day and motherhood sometimes aren't all they're cracked up to be - especially for stepmothers, the unsung heroes of blended families. Parenting always is a challenge, especially in the face of resentment by children who assume that the new woman in their father's life is trying to replace their mother.

Some fortunate women are readily accepted as the caring stepparents they strive to be, but rarely is that the case.Even though a stepmother has no intention of trying to supplant a birth mother, children may misinterpret whatever she does as trying to pretend she is family or, even worse, replace their "real" mother.

Source: http://warrentonjournal.stltoday.com/articles/2008/05/07/opinions/sj2tn20080507-0507war-famatters0.ii1.txt