A note from the author:

In anticipation of my second book More Tales of Virtuous Stepmothers, I will share some critical insights on the portrayal of stepmothers in traditional folklore and the reality of modern stepmothers. When authors repeat the same patterns of traditional storytelling, they are missing opportunities to explore different narratives that speak to modern readers and reflect the complex realities of blended families.

Mothers and Stepmothers
In traditional fairy tales like Cinderella and Snow White, the biological mother is deceased before the stepmother takes over the family. In many cases, the father usually remarried after the first wife died in childbirth. In this modern era, the mortality rate for mothers has dropped and there are more blended families with children that divide time between two homes. The traditional fairy tales do not show how the stepmother and biological mother co-exist within the same family. The saintly deceased mother is often compared to the villainous stepmother. That is a blind spot I strive to correct in future stories. It is true that there is often conflict between these two women about the distribution of family responsibilities and it's hard to imagine how they can get along. I have heard in some cases the bio mom and the stepmom do manage to achieve a functional if not amicable relationship. Some even become friends. As a writer, I need to overcome my personal bias to explore this connection when there has never been a historic example of two women successfully co-parenting in their blended families.

The Empowered Woman

Two Family Homes
Most stories with blended families in history show all members living together under one roof. In the present family law has changed so that parents can adopt a co-parenting routine from separate homes and the children divide their time between each parent. The traditional stories do not show how the child adjusts to this routine or balances two lives, not only in different spaces but also the emotional changes that occur in these situations. Children often struggle to express their feelings about living in a blended home. From personal experience, I felt annoyed because I thought I was the only one living in a divided household and my peers were still happy with their parents together under one roof. What made a big difference for me was learning that other kids had different custody arrangements, and I gradually found the words to describe my situation.

Amicable vs. Dysfunctional Bonds

Unity vs. Separation

Fathers

Stay tuned for more details.