As of late, I've been slammed with an overwhelming sense of fear.  Fear of failure has always been a downfall for me. My husband got custody of his 7 year old daughter in November and we've been raising her nearly 100% of the time. Now that I was raising a child, the fear was absolutely overwhelming.  What if I failed and my step daughter grew up to be a horrible person because of me?

  Despite owning a home, working full time, and being over 30, I've never much seen myself as a responsible adult, let alone a parenting figure. The thought of being responsible for another human's well being can scare the life out of me. The constant uncertainty haunts me day and night. In so many ways, I feel like I have no clue on what I'm doing. Add into that mixture the challenges of being a blended family, a confused child, a nearly absentee birth mother and the fear can rise to the level of being paralyzing.

So how do I get a handle on this fear?

      I really have no other choice than to face it head on with what I know. What's helped me most is looking at my own childhood, which I have reflected on more than ever. And more times than not, I have the answer I need and my fears are put to rest. While I've always been grateful for my family and my childhood, I find it now to be an absolute crucial part of my daily reflection. Realizing what my parents did to make me the person I am has taught me how to pass that on to a younger life still needing the same guidance I once did.

My new favorite motto in life is “What Would Mom and Dad do?”