Rule #1, The Steps.

Don't EVER EVER EVER EVER, mention steps in MY home. It's never tolerated and won't be.

I was raised with two, 1/2 brothers, never ONCE were we considered steps or 1/2's. We were brothers & sisters. Plain and simple. My brother died at 22 from Good Pasture Syndrome. My other brother is probably one of my biggest confidants. I love him to death. We've had our ups and downs, we've gone years and not spoken, never had an ill wish against one another ever. He is my brother & the truest sibling that I've ever had.

If someone were to look at me & say, "But he's your 1/2 brother!!" I would be locked in jail for high fiving them in the face. No, he's my brother. Plain and simple.

Moving on to the actual 'step' thing. My 3 children consider their 'step' sister their sister. Actually my oldest considers her her best friend. They miss her dearly when she's not here. They love her just as though she's always been here. When we're out in public it's my sister this & my sister that. When they talk about her in school it's "My sister that lives in xyz." Never once has it been My mom's honey's daughter. EVER.

All of this being said, they have never taken to their dad's wife's kids. Probably because they're older and were doing their own thing. I was 29 when I divorced my ex & he promptly hopped into bed with a grandma. No shit. LOL!

The Biggest Rule in this house is there are NO steps. We don't view steps, we don't acknowledge steps & we never will. To make it easier for people to understand, we'll say, "We have 3 daughters & 1 son. Our one daughter lives with her mother." We leave it at that. If they can't figure that out then I really question their intellect.

Always remember NO STEPS!