Life
Read This Mom's Post About Her Daughter's Stepmom
Stepmothers often get a bad rap — just look at Cinderella and Snow White — so it’s lovely to see a mom who appreciates the hard work that goes into raising someone else’s child. In a moving Facebook post, a mom thanked her ex’s new girlfriend for helping care for her daughter. The post has gone viral, with many cheering for a mom who’s chosen to take a situation that could be fraught with tension and jealousy, and turning it into something positive. Bustle has reached out to Audrey Loving for comment and will update upon reply.
Audrey Loving is a 24-year-old single mom, raising her 4-year-old daughter, Riley, in Newport News, Virginia. She was previously engaged to Riley’s father, Corey Henry. Eventually they broke up, and Henry started to date another woman, Whitney McGraw, who helps care for Riley when she’s visiting her dad. This is where a lot of stories turn ugly, but Loving took to Facebook on November 2 to express her gratitude for the new woman in her ex’s life.
The post features a goofy picture of McGraw with Riley. “This is my daughters fathers gf,” Loving wrote. “The sweetest thing ever! I'm super thankful for her because when she visits her dad she feeds her, takes care of her, buys her gifts, and basically takes care of her like her own.”
“Why do all these moms act so spiteful and jealous towards the other women??” Loving asked. “NOONE said it was easy trying to be a mother to a kid you didn't have. So when there is someone trying don't push them away!” Loving recognizes that more love is always good, writing, “A kid can have two moms because in my eyes the more people that love her I'm happy!!! I would never make her feel like an outsider I'm extremely thankful for this girl.” She ended the post with a simple message: “Love more hate less!!!”
Loving told TODAY that her welcoming attitude about her ex’s girlfriend stems from her own experiences as a child. “I come from a blended family — I have stepsisters, half-sisters,” she said. “Growing up, I heard the negative talk about the ‘other woman,’ and I didn’t want my kid to hear the same thing … It’s not fair. Kids are smart.”
Loving admitted that it wasn’t easy to let another woman into her kid’s life. “Of course it’s hard,” she told TODAY. “You have a kid and your mama bear comes out. But the fact that someone’s there loving my daughter … I’m at peace knowing she’s being taken care of. The more people that love your kid, the better.” And she recognizes how challenging it is to be in McGraw’s shoes, saying, “It’s awkward for her too — dating someone with a kid. I’m not interested in the baby mama drama … I welcomed her into my family with open arms.”
Loving told the Huffington Post that her Facebook post “had [McGraw] in tears. Happy ones.” Judging by the many thousands of people who have “liked” the post (365,000 and counting), McGraw wasn’t the only one.
