A WOMAN has left people stunned after revealing her unique blended family situation.
She took to her TikTok page to share a video in which she explained she lives with her ex-husband, their daughter and her boyfriend.
But there was a discovery with reduced her to tears, as she was seen sobbing after she found out she was pregnant.
“POV: Taking a pregnancy test while going through a divorce,” she wrote over the top of the video.
“I am still going through divorce, seeing someone new, and I have a two-year-old daughter with my ex, so this would be really messy,” she said, as she waited for the pregnancy test result to flash up.
The clip then showed her breaking down in tears, as she wrote: “Little did I know the adventure God was about to take our family on…”
The woman then shared happy moments of her blended family together, including a gender reveal when she and her boyfriend learned they were having a son.
She also showed the trio getting on together alongside her and her ex’s daughter, as she referred to the men as “brother husbands”.
“Myself, my ex-husband, our daughter, and my boyfriend all live together now and my boyfriend and I are expecting our son at any moment,” she wrote in the caption.
“I feel truly so blessed that such a crazy, scary, and unexpected situation turned into such a beautiful thing.
“Our families coming together for the children and for each other. I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.
“It was hell getting here, but we did by the grace of God.
“Now we’re just waiting for baby bro to be here!”
“Are all the men you pick green flags? This is beautiful,” one person commented on the video.
“Turns out to be the less messy situation ever!” another added.
“My mum, her boyfriend, and my stepdad all live together too!” a third commented.
“It honestly may seem weird to everyone else on the outside looking in but for us it works!
“Congratulations! Sending love y’all’s way!”
“I’m so happy for all of you! Blended families are so beautiful,” someone else said.
“Sending you all love and congratulations!”
“This is a crazy dynamic,” another wrote.
“I am so freaking happy it’s working for you and your family and especially your kiddo and future kiddo.”
In another video, the mum explained that she “loved this little life” but it “doesn’t mean its been easy by any means”.
THERE are an increasing amount of blended families making it work around the world, with some of them even taking that extra step and living together.
And in a post on the Supernanny website, clinical psychologist Dr Victoria Samuel has revealed her three of her top tips to make a blended family work and to avoid common blended family pitfalls.
Prepare for intense feelings
“For a new blended family to be formed, a breakdown of an original family must happen, so it’s normal for children to experience intense and sometimes overwhelming feelings: anger, disappointment, sadness, grief, guilt, worry and insecurity,” she said.
“When parents remarry or move in with a new partner who has children from a pre-existing marriage, a child faces further threats to his sense of stability.”
To help this process, ensure you accept and listen to all your children’s feelings “without judgement or suggesting immediate solutions”, and “convey an acceptance of their experiences with concern and empathy”.
Agree parenting roles
“It’s absolutely crucial to show a united front,” Dr Victoria said.
“The younger family members need to know that rules will be consistently and fairly applied, by both adults, to all children in the family.”
In a bid to put across a “consistent approach”, take the time to “openly discuss your parenting values with your new partner”.
“Talk about those taken-for-granted beliefs you have about family life: what behaviour you expect and what you won’t tolerate,” she added.
Push a problem-solving approach
“A great way of avoiding simmering resentment is to arrange regular family meetings,” Dr Victoria suggested.
“Take it in turns to chair the meeting and avoid interruptions and shouting with the pass the stone technique: to be allowed to talk at the meeting, the ‘stone’ (a pen or apple or whatever you have to hand!) has to be in the speaker’s hands.
“There is only one stone, so only one person talks at once.”
“It’s one of the hardest yet most rewarding things I’ve ever done,” she added.
“That even though my ex and I get along great, I am still healing, and know he is too.
“That I’m so proud of my ex for working with me to put our daughter first.
“That the trauma of my family being split apart still makes me cry myself to sleep most nights.
“That my boyfriend has been my rock through all of this, and I appreciate him more than he could ever know for being willing to enter into this crazy family.”
She concluded by saying that “seeing the guys coming together and becoming friends” had given her “so much respect for them both”.
