1.
When you were younger, every day you worried about another sibling coming along that you'd have to compete with.
2.
If your stepparent had kids from a previous relationship, you didn't bond right away.
3.
You were irritated that your step siblings were in your friend group by association.
4.
Nothing was more frustrating than when your parent would favor your step sibling over you.
5.
And meeting the rest of your stepparent's family was an entirely awkward experience in itself.
6.
At one point you tried the, "You're not my real parent!" bit...
7.
...but if you were lucky, your stepparent never tried to overstep their boundaries.
8.
You had to deal with intrusive questions like, "How does your real parent feel about your stepparent replacing them?"
9.
You remember exactly how you were told about this "new person in mommy/daddy's life."
10.
You can remember when you first met your parent's new boyfriend or girlfriend.
11.
At times, you may have felt like your parent was giving your stepparent more attention than you.
12.
If your stepparent is of a different race than you, you had to deal with the stares of other people.
13.
You were really nervous about how your stepparent would get along with your biological one at family events.
14.
You had to deal with the awkwardness when someone asks why your last name is different from one or both of your parents.
15.
But despite any growing pains or awkward moments, you lucked out by growing up with a big family.
