Weddings are notorious for the emotions they bring up. Monica, the financial planner, has been married to Ben, the father of a grown daughter, for eleven years. She dated him for four years before they got married. Her husband had been married for twenty-five years and was in the middle of his divorce when they met.
Monica had never met his ex until her stepdaughter married. Before the wedding, Monica’s mother gave her this advice: “You’re the stepmother. Your job is to wear beige and smile.” Harsh! But the sentiments are right on. A stepmother’s place at a wedding is to ask her stepchildren what they want her to do and to take a back seat to Mom.
In the weeks before the wedding, Monica’s stepdaughter did everything she could think of to make sure her mother was taken care of, because her mother was notorious for throwing tantrums. She expected her to flip out on the big day and even asked her dad not to stand in the receiving line to make Mom happy.
When Monica did finally meet the ex, the woman was rude. Monica worked hard to be gracious and supportive of her stepdaughter, even though the woman’s behavior hurt her and her husband. Monica knew if she made a scene, her stepdaughter would be the one to shoulder the burden.
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