STEPMOM A steaming mother is an adult woman who marries one of her biological parents. Children from her former husband’s previous marriages are called her stepparents. Steep mothers usually do not remarry and therefore do not have children of her own. In the United States, about forty percent of all stepparents live in the states of Texas and Florida, and about thirty percent live in the state of California. In certain stepparenting situations, where the child has substantial biological problems, custody is given to the stepparent’s other half or to a stepparent’s stepparents. Child support is generally ordered by the court according to a formula set forth in the child’s custody order.
A steaming mother can be either the stepparent of one of the biological mothers or the stepmom of one of the stepparents. A steaming mother can remarry after she has completed the child birth, but she must notify her former spouse immediately. However, if she later wishes to remarry, she must first wait nine months from the date of separation or death of the stepparent. After the nine-month waiting period, stepparents no longer have to provide financial assistance to their stepchildren, unless they are considered dependent. The state law does not require a steaming mother to remarry if she has another biological child who is legally dependent. A steaming mother can also file for child support even if she later marries someone else; she simply must inform her former spouse that she intends to remarry.
Many steaming mothers complain that they feel like they are constantly fighting with their stepfamily members and that this leads to a feeling of estrangement from them all. While these women do experience some resentment toward their stepchildren, most steaming mothers say that it helps them bond with their new stepparent. They also feel better able to establish rules for the new stepparent, such as who will get where and how much money goes where. Steaming is usually the first step in introducing a stepfamily to each other. It allows stepfamilies to get along better, and it gives stepparents a chance to feel more connected to their new family.
