I got in this “Mom” thing late in life. By the time I met my Hubby, his son was almost 18 and at a sort of rebellious age. T knew his own mind, had definite ideas about his Dad’s love-life, was finding his own independence and buried himself by working on his numerous cars–one at a time, of course–while hanging-out with his friends and girlfriend.

I wasn’t into being anyone’s “step-mom” and figured I simply had a nice friendship with someone I liked; who had decidedly different ideas on leisure activities; who trusted me to navigate the unfamiliar streets of Vancouver to visit his family and who was brave enough to continue ballroom dancing with a partner who had 2 left feet to begin with and still had 2-left feet when we finished our classes. When J finally popped the question, there was no hesitation in accepting as we had known each other for a few years. By then, the thought of having a 21 year old step-son was not as daunting as I had first thought. T had evolved into a responsible and kind adult. While J and I enjoyed our engagement period which became a lengthy one, T married his high-school sweetheart and started a family.

The day I married T’s Dad, I officially became wife, step-mom and grandma to a 2-1/2 year old grandson and an 8-month old granddaughter.

Today, my two older grandchildren are hard-working, responsible young adults who have definite goals in life. My two younger grandchildren are active little girls who love everything in their world including their big brother and big sister.

Moms have a tough job. They deal with not only all the good positive stuff of motherhood but also the negative stuff like colds, flu and stuff kids get into as well as the day-to-day running of an active household. And for many others, there’s juggling in a full-time job as well. When Mom-job and day job collide, she manages to deal with both while keeping calm and relatively sane.

I feel very blessed to be a step-mom and grandma on Mother’s Day. I got here the easy route and appreciate what Moms go through. To all the Moms out there, know you are doing a great job. To all the Grandmas out there, you know you have done a terrific job when you look at the happy faces of your grandchildren. Happy Mother’s Day to all of you–give yourself a well-deserved pat-on-the-back!