One of the most disgusting things i was ever asked - "Well, if you divorced Tim, you would never want to see Talina again, would you?" My response - "I would sue him for custody and i would win"
Talina has been in my life since she was 6. I actually met Talina before i met her father, my husband. I was called in to help tutor her, she had just moved to the area and needed to play catch up with the FL school system. She was quiet and shy with this beautiful long hair, and it was a huge success if i got her to smile. Then, one day, she came in, and her hair was cut shorter than mine. I wanted to hold her and soothe her and make all her pain go away.
Five months later, i met her father...the rest is history.
She became my daughter. Before Tim and i married, we found a home, and when Jenn and i moved in, we took her with us while Tim remained in his apartment - i didn't want Jenn to have seniority over her and place her stamp all over the house.
When we built our home, the two bedrooms were exactly the same size, exactly the same closets, windows, etc. Two girls, the same age, same grade, different friends, different activities, i attended them all.
Raising someone elses' child is not easy. She had different tastes, mannerisms and when she went to her mothers, she always came home with issues. And dealing with the other parent was...well, you know.
I knew it had to be hard for her, namely when the boys came along, because she was the odd one, the only child i didn't give birth to. I told her that made her special, she was the only one who didn't give me stretch marks. Eventually, that changed to Talina is my favorite child, because she came without stretch marks.
I had someone tell me "I married my husband, i didn't marry the children." Really? They were a package deal, just like Tim and Talina were my package deal. You marry one, you get the other.
I was lucky, she was only 6, and she really didn't remember her life with her mother. But there were times she came back from summer vacation with the "You can't tell me what to do, you aren't my mother." And then as a teenager, it became "I am going to live with my mother, she won't make me do......" But through all that, she never called me her step mother, i was just mom.
I have thanked God over and over again for my Snook - a nickname i gave her before Tim and i were married. When she sings, i get the chills, it is that beautiful. There are times she starts to laugh...and then can't stop. I say her giggle box got knocked over. The hardest experience i ever had as a parent was with Talina - we got through it, and developed a stronger bond.
We have laughed privately, when people have said how much she looks like me. Oh sure, she is blonde, i am a redhead. I have freckles, she has clear skin. She has brown eyes, i have gray eyes. I am as tall as she is short. Yup, twins!
I am so very blessed with Talina. She is my blessing, my extra gift from God. I have loved watching her grow, blossom and become the lovely lady she is today.
And hey, she is my favorite child, because she came without stretch marks.
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