Ahh that is lovely to hear, I whole heartedly agree with you, I love my Sd6 and she loves me, at the end of the day blood means nothing its the person who loves a child "like" a parent

Thank you for sharing. This also brought tears to my eyes. I know that others here feel the exact same way bc I do, too.

..... at the end of the day, regardless of all the crazy, frustrating and annoying crap that goes on, we still love those crazy kids that make our lives heck. That is what being a parent is all about not about a blood tie.

I often tell my bf that if I didn't care I wouldn't bother.

It makes you a better dad because you didn't have to be. You chose to have those particular children in your life, and that is the best! Thank you for sharing

That's wonderful...I am truly happy for you. I think that many fathers and BMs DEMAND that we love their kids...the fact that nobody DEMANDED that from you might have made it easier to go with the flow and love them on your own terms.

You have a good situation. I've dated men and loved their kids and got along well with their Mothers. I assumed it'd be the same when I became a stepmom. It's not and I don't feel the way you do right now though I understand how you feel as I have felt it before. It's a nice feeling. I hope to have it again one day!

You are not alone. My kids do not call my husband "dad" but my son says his father is his father, his step-dad is dad... when he answers questions from friends, like, "what does your dad do for a living?" he says he answers with what stepdad does without even explaining that he is step...because that is dad...so no, you do not need blood to be a dad. thanks for sharing

perfectly said ...... step parents do not have to be replacement parents to the kids . but they will fill that role in their lives just the same . the kids will treat you just the same as well . i do disagree with you on one point . i would be confident in guessing that contrary to what you said can not walk away from the kids . you are not their father , and they are not your kids , but you fill the roles for each other just the same . they asked you to love them and give them what their father took away . when you accepted , you asked them to trust you , believe in you , and be for you the kids that you never got to have . i would be confident guessing that they couldnt walk away from you either ...........

Glad to hear that you are one of the rare "success stories." Don't see too many of those.

I love my wife, and would still have married her, but if I knew then what I know now, I would never have attempted to have any relationship with her kids. Just too much heartache, frustration, and wasted time, money, and energy.