Alone With My New Stepmom. Today

If you are currently staring at the garage door, listening to your dad’s car fade away, here is a survival guide. You don’t have to become best friends overnight. You just have to get through the next few hours.

For the vast majority, however, "alone with my new stepmom" is not a horror story. It is a coming-of-age story. Alone With My New StepMom.

Most new stepmothers are navigating a minefield of expectations. They want to be liked, but they don't want to overstep. They want to be helpful, but they fear being seen as controlling. When she is alone with you, she is likely feeling a similar—if not greater—anxiety. She may feel she is under a microscope, her every word and action being judged against the standard of your biological mother. If you are currently staring at the garage