Stepmom

Susan Sasse of Chesapeake City, Md., vice president of the International Stepfamily Association, a nonprofit group, said: "What I hear from new stepmoms all the time, especially with older kids, is, 'They just hate me. They don't want to give me a chance. They think I'm taking their dad.'"

The Papster, my stepmom, her sister Angela the psychoanalyst, and Angela's husband Eric the kazillionaire were strolling along the canal.

Now that I’m a stepmom legally, I would argue that it’s a wonderful role: You learn how to parent with your partner before the stress of a newborn comes into the mix.

A few years later when Doug and I got married, Cole, Ella, and I agreed that we didn’t like the term “stepmom.” Instead they came up with the name “Momala.”