Stepmom

A real woman who loves and supports children that are not her own, after having married their father. She helps her husband raise the children and is either appreciated or not - usually not, no matter what she does (or at least not for many years). Most stepmoms have it a lot tougher than stepdads because the expectations are much higher for stepmoms and the criticism is MUCH harsher and more common. Rarely the mean, controlling, selfish, get-rid-of-the-kids/make-them-slaves, etc. assholes they often are accused of being by kids who do this because they have a biological mom who is furious/jealous her ex-husband remarried and therefore (subtly) manipulates her kids into disliking the stepmom, and also because these kids often have issues due to other forms of emotional/psychological abuse committed against them by their biological mom - which the children will usually be completely unaware of. Usually though, the kids have bad attitudes about the stepmom simply because they just don't like sharing their dad with her, sharing a house with her, and worst of all - when she tells them to act right and then disciplines them if they don't. Most care deeply about the kids and only want the best for them. Most stepmoms don't just give up and walk away but hang in there and keep working hard to love & support the kids regardless of how they are treated – w/o any expectation they will EVER love her back – which means stepmoms are NOT what they are usually accused of, they are heroes.