Stepparents are individuals who are just built differently. While parents love and care for their children unconditionally because they are their children, stepparents choose to love their stepchildren by choice.
Stepparents come in all different forms — some of them are fun adults who join their stepchild’s two parents at various events and gatherings, while others take on the role of being a full-time parent to their stepchild.
Either way, being a stepparent can be incredibly challenging and sometimes hard.
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Many movies and TV shows push a negative image of stepparents
With the narrative of stepparents, specifically stepmoms, being “evil” and “no good,” it can be challenging for a woman to be a part of a child’s life whom she did not birth to — especially if the child’s biological parent is still around. They can often be seen as a threat and aren’t entirely accepted by the family or the child.
However, some women really step up into the role
While some stepparents believe in the “nacho” method, where they let their partners take on all of the big pieces of parenthood and chime in once in a while, there are some women who truly step into a stepparent role all in — with their whole hearts and whole beings.
Recently, a TikTok trend has begun to celebrate stepparents who have done just that
On TikTok, children who have had a parent who “stepped up” have begun sharing photos of their relationship building through the years. Often, the photos start off negatively, with the child saying that they hope their stepparent doesn’t think they will call them “mom” or “dad.”
Over time, the dynamic changes through the photos
One TikTok user, Lily Grace, shares that her stepmom stepped up in more ways than she could ever imagine, despite not being married to her dad.
In the first photo, she shared her dad had passed away, and young Lily had wondered if his girlfriend would still be around after his death.
However, each photo showcases his girlfriend, Jane, showing up for Lily in amazing ways
Six months after her father died, Jane still attended Lily’s prom. In addition, Jane was also there to celebrate Lily’s 18th birthday, two years after her father had died.
The photos continue to progress years and years in the future
Jane and Lily continued to go on trips together, as Lily showed photos of them in Barcelona two and a half years after her father died. Then, Jane took Lily and her brother to New York on a trip, four years after her father died.
Jane continued to step up in major ways
Lily showcased photos of Jane celebrating her 21st birthday at a party that Jane had organized entirely. When Lily graduated college, Jane was right there by her side, too. A decade after her father’s death, the two still traveled to Europe and Boston together.
Lily shared how lucky she is to have “a Jane”
In the years since her father passed, Jane has remained a major staple in Lily’s life. She wrote, “Viral TikTok Highlights The Importance Of Step-Parents Who Show Up: “She Didn’t Have To Still Be My Stepmom, But She Chose To Be.
People online were incredibly touched
Many people were moved by Jane’s true love for Lily and seemingly for her brother and other siblings (if any) as well. “Jane isn’t a stepmother; she is a MOTHER who stepped up,” wrote Lelet.
“Jane really said I love you and I’ll stay,” added katharina.
Many other people shared their own “Jane” stories, as well
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“I am someone’s jane since she was 4yrs wen her mom died now am 30 and she’s 15 we have come a longway,” wrote king mafi.
“My friend’s mum passed and the boyfriend of 2 years adopted her to stop her going into the system. He walked her down the isle when she got married,” commented Jenn.Shep.
Clearly, everyone needs a Jane.
