they all begin the same
all bright and eager
Hero here:
let’s build a Family!
(you are a project now.)
they try–I will give them that.
full of good intentions
this mission is a diversion
solving temporarily
the feeling of futility
but
families are not made of fun
not Lego pieces
these fractured, odd shapes don’t snap into place
together is never
so easy or seamless
there are no booklets with step by step instructions
no map through this strange kingdom
trophy families gather tarnish
we are not a balm
we cannot heal
what your father broke in you
we are only children.
stepdads get tired
stepdads are sorry
and defeated
they say goodbye
they never look back.
She Rose 
Poignant and beautiful.
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First off, this is beautifully written and really puts the reader in the protagonist’s shoes.
As an aspiring stepdad, what advice would you give?
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Hi Steve. Thank you for your kind comment and thoughtful question. While I’m by no means a parenting expert, my thought is that parenting is largely a one-way street where we give and invest in another human being with no control over the outcome or return on investment, so to speak. These stepdads in the poem asked too much of their step-children because they were emotionally needy and incomplete. If you approach parenting or step-parenting as an opportunity to give, rather than looking for what you’ll get out of it, I suspect you’ll do just fine. Make sure you are whole and healthy so that you can model that and stay centered throughout the inevitable ups and downs of parenting. 🙂
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