Dear Valued Users,
It's with a heavy heart that we announce the permanent closure of StepTalk.org on August 31st, 2025.
This decision wasn't an easy one. For over twenty years, StepTalk has been a source of support for stepparents around the world! However, over the years, the costs associated with maintaining and upgrading the site to remain secure, meet current standards and maintain availability have become unsustainable.
We are incredibly grateful for your support, contributions and the community you've helped us build. Your engagement has made StepTalk.org a special place and we cherish the memories and connections made here.
We would especially like to thank Aniki for volunteering to be a moderator and for caring so much.
Thank you for being a part of our journey and we wish you all the best.
Sincerely,
Dawn and The StepTalk Team
False CPS report that would
False CPS report that would lead to my other children being taken away.
Other than that- at 14- drugs, sex, stealing, pregnancy, running away, even CPS report that yeilded nothing- could all be worked through. I really think that would be my only thing.
Edit- I didn't even think about murder or hurting another child. Those would be on my list as well.
I think for most people that
I think for most people that is going to be a pretty tall fence.. and one that they won't easily climb over until the child is an adult.
But, Murder, sexually abusing children would probably be at the top of the list...
It also might be as a result of prolonged substance abuse issues that wreak havoc on the rest of the family... but in those cases.. I think the parent would still have some underlying hope the child would come back around.
There may be some smaller subset of parents that might disown their child for things like being lbtgq or for dating/marrying outside of their religion/culture or race.
I think that even when behavior or mental illness is very bad.. parents will still feel they want to help their child.. certainly when they are minors.. and even as adults... despite the chaos it brings into their lives.
If the question is being asked in some hopeful manner that our spouses will "see the light" at how horrible their child is..and will write them off.... I would say the odds are fairly low that will ever happen. A bio parent may be "resigned" to the fact that a child has been PAS'ed etc... but there will likely always be hope that there will be a reconcilliation.. and the parent will probably run after that child at the smallest glimmer of hope.
14 year old or any kid for that matter.
Hurting my/our together bio children. Hurting animals THAT resulted in vet visits and death.
Admitting in court that EVERYTHING that was done TO everyone in my home was done on purpose for 'their cause'. Zero remorse, zero apologies.
Some things are not forgivable.
Hurting children and animals----
Any number of things counter
Any number of things counter to how I raised them. Murder, violent crime, persistent crime of any flavor, causing a pregnancy, drug abuse, quitting school, etc.....
At 14 I would ship them off to a lock down boot camp boarding school for idiot incorrigible kids until they were 16 and could drop out of their own volition. In that case... buh-bye and good luck. Write when you find work. My kids would have my full and total support until they were 18 and beyond if they earned it. If they didn't, enjoy early adulting on your own dime kid-ohs.