If I Knew Then Part 7

[00:00:13.06]Welcome back to Rooted&Real, cause what we say here is so real.
[00:00:23.00]You know, the last episode I did on If You Knew Then, What You Know Now (If I Knew Then: Part 6).
[00:00:29.82]I didn’t realize it’s so deep, it helped (people) so much, so I thought the last one would be my
[00:00:37.54]last one, but I have this one!
[00:00:42.65]And today it’s all about blended families, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
[00:00:51.50]See, in blended families, which I’m in one, you know, we post birthday photos, marching
[00:00:59.45]outfits, you know, holiday pics, “We’re one big happy family…”,
[00:01:07.53]So the pics say, but nobody posts the ‘2am conversations’, the ‘you’re not my mum’ moments,
[00:01:19.01]the holidays split in two.
[00:01:24.06]The truth is, it’s all of it.
[00:01:27.90]It’s the good, it’s the bad, and the ugly.
[00:01:32.57]And if you’re in one right now, or you grew up in one, this one is for you.
[00:01:41.30]Because if I knew then, what I know now, I would have understood it sooner.
[00:01:51.81]So let’s start with the good, cause it’s real too, right?
[00:01:56.06]The good is when it works, when extra love shows up, when kids get new siblings and adults
[00:02:06.17]get second chances, you know?
[00:02:09.45]And remember, it’s not perfect, but the good parts, they’re worth holding on to.
[00:02:19.65]Now, the bad, because we have to be honest here, the bad is the awkwardness.
[00:02:29.53]The what I said there, ‘you’re not my real mum’ comments, different rules in the same
[00:02:35.34]house, holidays that feel like a math problem.
[00:02:40.17]Honestly, nobody prepares you for that, but you just walk into it, hoping love will figure
[00:02:48.73]it out.
[00:02:51.21]And sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t, at least not right away.
[00:02:58.77]And then there’s the ugly, the part that you don’t post, resentment, favouritism, kids
[00:03:08.57]stuck in the middle of adult problems they didn’t cause, silence at the dinner table
[00:03:13.85]that’s even louder than words.
[00:03:16.41]It’s ugly because it hurts people you love.
[00:03:21.21]And if I knew then what I know now, honestly, I would have spoken up sooner or listened
[00:03:28.37]better, or both.
[00:03:33.96]So if you’re in a blended family right now, I see you, I feel you.
[00:03:41.57]It’s not easy.
[00:03:42.57]Some days it feels like you’re building a bridge while walking on it, but the good,
[00:03:49.85]the bad, and the ugly, all of it is part of your story.
[00:03:55.97]And no, you’re not failing, you’re learning, you’re loving, you’re trying.
[00:04:05.06]And if I knew then what I know now, I would have given myself more grace.
[00:04:15.09]So dear, give yourself some too, you’re doing better than you think.
[00:04:22.94]Thank you…