I’ve spent more than fifteen years working in family law. I know the system. I understand custody orders, court filings, and the complicated dynamics that can come with families living between two homes. But becoming a stepmom showed me a side of that system I had never really considered from behind a legal desk.
What happens when the stepparent becomes part of ongoing conflict they didn’t create?
Not the custody case. Not a legal parent with standing before the court. Just a person who married someone, loves their family, helps raise the children in their home—and suddenly finds themselves affected by circumstances surrounding the family that they have very little ability to address.
That question eventually became StepAL.org.
And, in true Rhoades Edit fashion, what started as me trying to make sense of something I was seeing and experiencing turned into me wondering: Surely this isn’t unique to one family.
Turns out, it isn’t.
If you are an Alabama resident and a stepparent who would like to share your experience, you can submit an anonymous report through StepAL.org. The survey does not ask for names, addresses, case numbers, or other personally identifying details. County of residence is collected to help identify geographic patterns in the data.