Blessing Of Post Divorce Extended Family

I have been divorced for nearly 9 years and my Ex’s family is still my family.  When we divorced my daughter was 4 years old and I emphasized that just because the relationship between her father and I changed; family is still family.

I have made it a priority over the years to ensure that his family is still part of her life.  We live in the Chicagoland area and his family all lives in Southern California and I have a sister that lives there as well.  So, when we make trips to California it is to visit my sister; we also spend time with the entire family.  My ex is older than I am and had 2 teenagers when we married.  Now those teenagers are 38 and 41 with children of their own.

As I’m writing this blog, I’m sitting in the beautiful home of my Ex’s brother and his wife in Palm Springs having spent the weekend with them.  Yesterday on the trip out here, we spent a wonderful afternoon with my stepson, his wife, and 4 beautiful daughters.  One of the amusing facts of my daughter’s life is that at 13 years old she is Aunt to her 15-year-old niece … the two get such a kick out of calling each other Aunt and Niece.

Tomorrow as we head back to the Orange County area, we’ll have lunch with my stepdaughter, her boyfriend, and 2 sons.  The balance of the week will be spent at my sisters for a wonderful Thanksgiving before heading back to the Midwest.  I feel so richly blessed having the extended family that we have and being part of each other’s lives.

Have you been able to maintain a close relationship with your ex-in-laws?