Mother's Day is coming up quickly (due to the late Easter) for most of our community, and obviously we all have a lot of feelings regarding it. We've seen a lot of posts in past years, so we thought we'd add a mega thread for you.

Want to browse last year's thread? See this link: Mother's Day 2018

• Have a Mother's Day win? Here's your place to post it!
• A not so great Mother's Day? You can talk about that here, too. If it's about Mother's Day, this is your thread!
• Does your family do anything special for you? Does your partner recognize your efforts?
• Do you help the stepkids pick out gifts for their BM? What about your mother? If she's living, what do you do for her?
• Are you feeling let down because no one is thinking of you at all? Are you frustrated that you are helping the kids make cards and crafts for BM but no one considers making something for you?

This is the thread for all of it!

The winter holiday season is here - are you ready?

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Yule, or Festivus, it's quite likely you're dealing with some headaches this holiday season, and quite possibly being told by everyone that "this is what you signed up for!" Well, we're here to tell you that NO, YOU DIDN'T.

1. Now that Thanksgiving has passed, is your SO’s coparent trying to play takebacks with the rest of your agreed-upon holiday schedule?
2. Has the pandemic just screwed everything up?
3. Have you ever had holiday plans changed without your consent or outside of your control?
4. Does the drama seem to ramp up this time of year?
5. Is the CO clear, or does it just cause arguments about what the schedule is supposed to be this year?
6. Are you frustrated that your holiday traditions seem to get pushes aside in favor of your SO’s ex’s whims?
7. Are you pulling your hair out trying to balance fairness with everything else?

Moderator note: Friendly reminder that this is a support thread! Any comment that violates the spirit of the post/our community will be removed without warning or notice. Thank you!

BUSINESS NOTE: Due to our rapidly growing number of subscribers and posters (36,400 members!), standalone vent/win posts on the sub about Christmas/holiday problems specifically will be removed, and you will be directed to copy and paste your post here in a comment to prevent clogging the sub feed. Anything posted before today will be left as a stand-alone - but please comment here from now on. Legal posts regarding CO problems and specific legal issues will be left up at moderator discretion.

Mother's Day is coming up quickly with the added fun of a lot of us still under stay-at-home orders. Continuing in our yearly tradition, welcome to the 2020 Mother's Day Megathread!

Want to browse last year's thread? See this link: Mother's Day 2019

• Have a Mother's Day win? Here's your place to post it!
• A not so great Mother's Day? You can talk about that here, too. If it's about Mother's Day, this is your thread!
• Does your family do anything special for you? Does your partner recognize your efforts?
• Do you help the stepkids pick out gifts for their BM? What about your mother? If she's living, what do you do for her?
• Are you feeling let down because no one is thinking of you at all? Are you frustrated that you are helping the kids make cards and crafts for BM but no one considers making something for you?
• Are you disappointed because traditions or plans had to be changed due to the pandemic?

This is the thread for all of it!

For a lot of us, the last quarter of the year brings the most step-life drama due to holidays, starting with Halloween. It's all fun and games until trick-or-treating becomes "you can speak to my attorney." This is your megathread for everything to do with Halloween, including wins, losses, vents, tiny problems, questions, and more! Post as many times as you have things to post about.

Please also sort by ‘new’ to see the newest comments! Aside from WINS, VENTS, AND TINY PROBLEMS, please feel free to share your answers to the following:

1. Is Halloween covered as a holiday in your CO?
2. Do you alternate trick-or-treating with the other parent, or does whoever has the kids on that day take them?
3. Do you have any traditions to make up for not having the SKs on Halloween?
4. What tips do you have for other household with split custody to make this day easier on everyone?

Moderator note: Any comment that violates the spirit of the post or our rules will be removed without warning or notice. Thank you!

PLEASE NOTE: If you make a standalone post on the sub about Halloween ONLY after this megathread is posted, it will be removed and you will be redirected to this thread. Posts that involve Halloween issues combined with other problems/advice seeking will be approved at moderator discretion.

Turkey, dishes, schedule conflicts, and angry voicemails mark the beginning of the big holiday season for some. This is your megathread for everything to do with Thanksgiving, including wins, losses, vents, tiny problems, questions, and more! Post as many times as you have things to post about.

Please also sort by ‘new’ to see the newest comments! Aside from WINS, VENTS, AND TINY PROBLEMS, please feel free to share your answers to the following:

1. Do you get anxiety attacks thinking about holiday schedules?
2. Have you ever had holiday plans changed without your consent or outside of your control?
3. Does the drama seem to ramp up this time of year?
4. Is the CO clear, or does it just cause arguments about what the schedule is supposed to be this year?
5. Are you frustrated that your holiday traditions seem to get pushes aside in favor of your SO's ex's whims?
6. Do you have any tips for surviving Thanksgiving?

Moderator note: Any comment that violates the spirit of the post or our rules will be removed without warning or notice. Thank you!

PLEASE NOTE: If you make a standalone post on the sub about Thanksgiving ONLY after this megathread is posted, it will be removed and you will be redirected to this thread. Posts that involve Thanksgiving issues combined with other problems/advice seeking will be approved at moderator discretion.

The holidays are fast approaching, and if you were raised in a blended family, are part of a blended family now, or you're dating someone with kids, the holidays may have a completely different meaning to you.

• Do you get anxiety attacks thinking about holiday schedules?

• Have you ever had holiday plans changed without your consent or outside of your control?

• Did you grow up worrying about "offending" one parent or the other?

• Did you grow up dreading the rock band tour schedule that your parents forced on you "because holidays?"

• Did you just start dating someone with kids and you're feeling blindsided by the high stress levels that are suddenly present in your SO?

We may have missed an emotion or two, or forgotten to mention a blended family hot topic about the holidays...but that's not the point.

The point is...if you're feeling stressed, angry, frustrated, or anything other than full of the joy of the season...we know where you are. Many of us have been, will be, or still are where you are.

Let us know--what are your biggest stress points in the holidays? MORE importantly--what is your family doing/have they done to successfully manage the stress and find themselves having a great holiday?

'Tis the Thanksgiving edition of this Mega Thread, so post away with how you're going to manage.

Don't forget the fun stuff!

• Dad falling asleep with his fat pants on in front of the Cowboys game!

• Kids actually getting along!

• Pies that didn't burn! (and their recipes)

• Mothers in Law that were nice!

• Did you really think you could leave without telling us your favorite holiday "lawd hep me" drink recipe?

December is here--are you ready? Sorry we’ve been a bit behind on this- it snuck up on us this year!

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or none of the above, your fellow stepparents are here for you to lean on. We all know the struggle of kids complaining about presents being better at the other house, trying to accommodate holiday COs and schedules or lack thereof, kids being on school break and trying to schedule child care, financial pressure during the holidays, and of course the wins that happen and knock our socks off too! This is your mega thread to discuss all things holiday related. Comment away--as many times as you like.

Moderator note: Friendly reminder that this is a support thread! Any comment that violates the spirit of the post/our community will be removed without warning or notice. Thank you!

BUSINESS NOTE: Due to our rapidly growing number of subscribers and posters (27,600 members!), standalone vent/win posts on the sub about Christmas/holiday problems specifically will be removed, and you will be directed to copy and paste your post here in a comment to prevent clogging the sub feed. Anything posted before today will be left as a stand-alone- but please comment here from now on. Legal posts regarding CO problems and specific legal issues will be left up at moderator discretion.

Mother's Day is this Sunday for most of our community, and obviously we all have a lot of feelings regarding it. We're seeing a lot of posts coming in, so we thought we'd add a mega thread for you.

Have a Mother's Day win? Here's your place to post it! A not so great Mother's Day? You can talk about that here, too. If it's about Mother's Day, this is your thread!

Does your family do anything special for you? Does your partner recognize your efforts? Do you help the stepkids pick out gifts for their BM? What about your mother? If she's living, what do you do for her?

Are you feeling let down because no one is thinking of you at all? Are you frustrated that you are helping the kids make cards and crafts for BM but no one considers making something for you?

This is the thread for all of it!

Moderator note: This is a support thread, and a support thread only. Let's be supportive of one another here; if you want to say something that isn't in the spirit, just don't. Move on to the next comment. Any comment that violates the spirit of the post will be removed without warning or notice. Thank you!

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and we've all survived, mostly, to fight another year!

What went well? What went bad? What has you sitting there thinking, "What in the hell did I get myself into?" Share it all here!

Moderator note: Friendly reminder that this is a support thread! Any comment that violates the spirit of the post/our community will be removed without warning or notice. Thank you!

NOTE: Due to our rapidly growing number of subscribers and posters, standalone vent/win posts on the sub about Thanksgiving specifically will be removed, and you will be directed to copy and paste your post here in a comment to prevent clogging the sub feed. Posts regarding CO problems and specific issues that may relate to Thanksgiving will be left up at moderator discretion.

As more communities begin to implement shelter in place and lockdown procedures, we thought it would be a good idea to talk about the ramifications on custody schedules.

AT THIS TIME directions are to follow existing custody schedules, unless exposure is a significant risk.

Please refer to the legaladvice subreddit for your jurisdiction if you need a quick yes or no question answered. In order to avoid overworking their mod teams, please check to see if your question has been answered before posting.

• legaladvice (generally US) /r/legaladvice. Please see their COVID-19 megathread here: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/fgpvcv/covid19_faq_a_workinprogress/
• ¿Necesitan ayuda en México? Contacten a nuestros amigos en r/DerechoMexicano.
• For help in the UK use /r/LegalAdviceUK and in Australia use /r/AusLegal
• For legal help in Canada, visit r/legaladvicecanada. / Pour obtenir de l'aide juridique au Canada, visitez r/legaladvicecanada.
• For help and questions for posters in the European Union, please visit LegalAdviceEurope.

We encourage you to check out r/AskDocs if you need help from a medical professional.

• Link to CDC
• Link to WHO
• Symptoms

This is a reminder to wash your hands frequently, practice social distancing, and stay away from gatherings of over 250 whatever the designated # of people legal in your area is if possible. Remember: the elderly and those with underlying conditions such as Diabetes, Heart Disease, Cancer, and other conditions are at highest risk. If you suspect you are showing symptoms such as a fever and dry cough, call your doctor before going to his or her office.

Our rules apply here. Rule-breaking comments will be removed without warning and may result in a ban.

Thank you everyone for your continued participation.

Turkey, endless dishes, long car rides, schedule conflicts, and angry voicemails mark the beginning of the big holiday season for some. This is your megathread for everything to do with American Thanksgiving, including wins, losses, vents, tiny problems, questions, and more! Post as many times as you have things to post about. We're all in this together.

Please also sort by ‘new’ to see the newest comments! Aside from WINS, VENTS, AND TINY PROBLEMS, please feel free to share your answers to the following:

1. Do you get anxiety attacks thinking about holiday schedules?
2. Is the pandemic throwing a wrench in your plans?
3. Have you ever had holiday plans changed without your consent or outside of your control?
4. Does the drama seem to ramp up this time of year?
5. Is the CO clear, or does it just cause arguments about what the schedule is supposed to be this year?
6. Are you frustrated that your holiday traditions seem to get pushes aside in favor of your SO's ex's whims?
7. Do you have any tips for surviving Thanksgiving?

Moderator note: Any comment that violates the spirit of the post or our rules will be removed without warning or notice. Thank you!

PLEASE NOTE: If you make a standalone post on the sub about Thanksgiving ONLY after this megathread is posted, it will be removed and you will be redirected to this thread. Posts that involve Thanksgiving issues combined with other problems/advice seeking will be approved at moderator discretion.

As Alice Cooper said, “Schools out for the summer! Schools out forever!”

Summer for stepfamilies usually involves some short of shift. Whether it be a shift in schedule, in routine or even in the primary household, it always brings some changes that need to be accounted for. Summer jobs, sports, vacations- things intact families look forward to- can bring about a sense of foreboding and unpredictability. Sometimes the changes are welcomed by both the children and parents, in other cases, the routine is destabilized and parents are faced with the overwhelming task of finding alternate care, making sure the kids are entertained and still dealing with the everyday ups and downs of steplife.

We’ve had a number of posts already about how things change over the summer, so we thought we’d make a discussion post talking about all things summer. As usual, we will try to streamline all summer posts into this thread, but due to the volume and extended time, we may leave a few as regular posts, especially if there are other non-summer related topics (custody, court and school to give some examples) within the post.Happy summer and enjoy your time, wherever you are!

Questions for Discussion

1. What is your summer schedule like? How does it differ from the school year? Do things remain the same or different?
2. Do your stepchildren travel to your home or to the other parents’ home from a distance to spend extended periods of time at the non-primary household? How far and for how long?
3. What are your childcare plans for the summer? Are costs shared between both parents? Are there other family members that help out with childcare?
4. What is your summer routine? Do you have to make changes to your household schedule to accommodate various needs and wants?
5. What are the best things about summer in your household? The more difficult?
6. How do you prepare the children to go back to school when it’s all over?
7. Stepparents with older teenagers: How does summer look for you, when part-time jobs, school and friends take over? What do you do to maintain contact with your children and how have you adapted the schedule (if you have) to keep everyone’s best interests in mind?

As more communities begin to implement shelter in place rules, we thought it would be a good idea to talk about self care during the midst of this pandemic.

Some of us are working from home, some of us have been temporarily laid off. Many of us now have our kids (bio and step alike) home full time, or most of the time.

It's normal to feel stressed and anxious right now. You may be afraid, anxious, feeling frazzled, and ready to pop. You are not alone! And you are not abnormal!

There are a couple of things you can do to help ease the stress and tension. Take some time out daily to practice self care, and to tune out from the noise of everything else around you.

Unwind: Do you have a hobby that helps relax you? Take some time out of your day and pursue it, whether it be reading, writing, doing a puzzle. Whatever it is, make it a point to spend at least 30 minutes a day unwinding.

Exercise: Standing up and walking around for ten minutes every two hours alleviates the aches and pains associated with sitting for long periods of time. A walk around the neighborhood (maintaining proper social distancing and other precautionary measures) will also brighten your day. Maybe even take some time to look into free online videos for cardio or yoga, whatever strikes your fancy.

Eat Right: It's really easy to dive into all of the junk food and snacks sitting in the cupboard right now. Boredom brings with it unhealthy eating patterns. Limit the snacks and focus on fresh foods (if they are available!) and foods that promote and boost your immune system. This goes for adults and kids alike. Although they may pester you nonstop for another bag of Cheez-Its, encourage them to make better options if they are available.

Keep up with Grooming: This seems to be a no-brainer, right? But I know that I'm certainly prone to easing into my work from home day without a shower and thinking I'll get one at lunch. Start the day with a shower. Whatever normal routine you have for going to work, stick with it. For me it's a shower, blow dry, and moisturizer. Sometimes mascara. Full make up is rare for me, but if I know I'll be video conferencing with a client, make up goes on just as it would if I knew clients were going to be onsite.

Turn Off the News: Take a break from the 24 hour news cycle. Catch up on old shows, binge watch a new show. Or, just turn it off all together and listen to music. The constant bombardment of the 24 hour news cycle wreaks havoc on all of our psyches. It's okay to tune out for a bit.

What tips and tricks do you have to share? What are you doing to take care of yourself right now? Share it with us!

We encourage you to check out r/AskDocs if you need help from a medical professional.

Link to CDC

Link to WHO

Symptoms

This is a reminder to wash your hands frequently, practice social distancing, and stay away from gatherings of over 250 people if possible. Remember: the elderly and those with underlying conditions such as Diabetes, Heart Disease, Cancer, and other conditions are at highest risk. If you suspect you are showing symptoms such as a fever and dry cough, call your doctor before going to his or her office.

Our rules apply here. Rule-breaking comments will be removed without warning and may result in a ban. Thank you everyone for your continued participation.

As more communities begin to implement shelter in place and lockdown procedures, we wanted to give everyone a place to discuss ways to keep their (probably restless) children occupied, enriched, and educated.

Here, we'll list resources available to parents and children to keep on-track with schoolwork and entertained.

Educational Livestreams

Mark Rober - Livestreaming Science Lessons (1pm PT)

Mo Willams - Lunch Doodles (Weekdays, 1pm ET)

Ben Clantoon (Narwhal & Jelly), Reading and Drawing (Mondays, 12:30pm)

Cincinatti Zoo - Animal Lesson & Activity (Every day, 3pm ET)

Kennedy Space Center - Live Presentations(M, W, F 9:30am for young children, 1pm for older)

Ari Shapiro (NPR)- Current Event Classes (Assignment Monday, Discussion Thursday)

​

Educational Resources

Storytime From Space

TED-ed (TED Talks for Kids)

Khan Academy

Scholastic - Learn at Home

Education.com

Prodigy Math Game

Open Culture (Online textbooks and classes)

Outschool (Offering free online classes right now)

​

Virtual Tours

Virtual Museum Tours

Virtual Field Trips

​

Podcasts for Kids

But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids

KidNuz (Short, Kid-friendly News Segments)

The Past & the Curious (Stories from History)

Book Club for Kids

Wow in the World (Science podcast and my kids' favorite)

Brains On

Tumble

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Arts & Crafts

Creative Fabrica - Free Home Crafting Bundle (posted by u/Tfelv22)

Free Kids Crafts

Happiness is Homemade Blog

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Feel free to comment resources not already found here to be added, or discuss what is and isn't working for you in your own home.