Don-t-disturb-your-stepmom

A stepmother is expected to act like a parent (disciplining, cooking, driving to soccer practice) but is rarely given the authority or emotional credit of one. She is often walking a high wire: if she cares too much, she is "overstepping"; if she cares too little, she is "cold."

Leo rolled his eyes. Elena was a corporate litigator. She didn’t just "prepare" for cases; she went into hibernation. She had married his dad two years ago, and while they got along fine, Leo often felt like he was living with a very polite, very stressed roommate who occasionally bought him the wrong brand of sneakers. Don-t-Disturb-Your-STEPMOM

There is a difference between "healthy boundaries" and "emotional neglect." If a stepmom uses as a blanket excuse to never engage, never attend school plays, or never have dinner with the family, that is not a boundary—that is a rejection. A stepmother is expected to act like a