'Ex-Almost-Stepmom' Celebrates the Special Bond She Shares With Her Ex's Kids and Their Mom
Charlotte Kingston
Whether we're talking about Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, or Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom, plenty of former couples are showing the world what kind, successful co-parenting looks like. And as exes move on to new relationships, blended families can take various forms. In a post that's winning lots of love on Facebook, a self-described "ex-almost-step-mom" shared her experience co-parenting her former boyfriend's kids alongside their biological ("bio") mom and taking the children to Disney together.
Charlotte Kingston from Onatario, Canada posted her story alongside a photo taken in an airport featuring her ex-boyfriend's kids, who she notes she "raised with him 50% of the time until we broke up in March," as well as the kids' mom Becca. Kingston says everyone was wearing matching shirts at the time the photo was taken, a fun detail Becca had planned.
Charlotte Kingston
"I've always had a ton of respect for Becca," Kingston shared. "From very early on in my relationship with the kids' father, I saw how much love the kids had for her and how hard she worked to do everything she could for them as a mother. She is without a doubt the most important person in their lives."
On this trip, Kingston said she became "genuinely amazed by her and spent the entire two weeks reminding the kids that their mommy is basically Superwoman. She does SO MUCH. She's so patient, organized, constantly putting others before herself, trying to play 10 different roles at once and still keep a smile on to make sure the kids are having fun."
Even more amazing to Kingston? The friendship the two have continued following her split from the kids' dad. "She had every right to keep the kids from me but she did exactly the opposite," the almost-step-mom explained. "She's given me a place to stay when I've had nowhere to go, given me her van to drive all the way to Kitchener or to take the kids for day outings to give her a break, even allows my FAMILY to still have a relationship with the kids."
She recalled a moment when one of the children referred to her as "another kind of mommy" and another during which she and Becca "were sitting at the edge of the pool in Florida watching the kids go up and down the water slide, and we heard a squeal coming down the tube and simultaneously went, 'I think that's our kid.'"
Charlotte Kingston
Kingston also revealed that after every 16-hour park day, she and Becca would "get back to the hotel, get the strollers into the air-conditioned rooms, give each other a high five and flop down on the beds because we finally made it... then do it all over again the next day."
The proud "ex-almost-step-mom" explained, "The love I have for these two little kids is the same intense love I can't wait to smother my own children with one day. That kind of passion doesn't just go away because my romantic relationship with their father didn't work out."
Ultimately, she believes, "It doesn't matter how we became family, that's what we are now, and it's the only 'label' we need."
Charlotte Kingston
The post has been met with a round of virtual applause from commenters. One wrote, "So cool! And very special that you can envelop each other in this unlabeled love. It's perfect just the way it is! No definition needed. Kids just need love!! Way to go." Another shared, "Good on the both of you for making a happy, healthy and stable environment for those kids! Just because you're no longer with their father doesn't mean the kids could just forget about you."
In response to the outpouring of love for her story, Kingston expressed her appreciation and added a final comment that's all too true. "These kids are lucky to have so much love in their lives, and that's all that matters."
