No Evil Stepmother in This Story

My life is no Cinderella story. Sure, I met my Prince Charming, but life isn't always a fairy tale. Still, we're happy, despite the curve balls life throws us.
A little over eight years ago my mom died. A little over five years ago my dad remarried... and that same month my new stepmother found out she was going to go from having zero grandkids to having four. Some people are amazed that she so readily accepted the role of grandma-to-be and, ultimately, grandma. I say, if you're going to join a family, you might as well do it with gusto. It extends to her family, too. Her daughter refers to herself as an aunt. While her father was alive he eagerly took on the role of "great grandpa." She is the only "Grandma Smith" (not her real last name) my daughters know. When I refer to my mom, I refer to her as Grandma Karen. (My daughters are still trying to understand why Grandma Smith isn't my mom, so there's no need to confuse them further).
Her generosity goes beyond my immediate family. She has developed a close relationship with my aunt, my mom's sister. They've even shared several Christmases together. Last week, my aunt fell and was seriously injured. This led to a hospital stay for several days. The person at her bedside 24/7? My stepmom. As a nurse, she made sure she was there whenever the doctors came to discuss treatment. I say it takes a pretty selfless person to take care of your husband's late wife's sister.
Has our relationship always been picture-perfect? Of course not. It's not easy to see your parents remarry, regardless of the circumstances. It takes time to get to know someone and accept them into your life. We are lucky to have someone join our family who wants to be a part of our family and a part of our lives.

How Many is Too Many?

I am a People magazine junkie. Since I no longer subscribe to the magazine (too expensive), I visit the website at least once a day for my fix. This week, the site had a story on the 19th Duggar baby leaving the hospital. I know I should have avoided the reader comments, but I went to that section anyway. I'm stunned by the things people had to say. Yes, I know the Duggars are a controversial family, but so many people not only insisted the family needs to stop having children but also blamed the baby's prematurity (25 weeks, I think) on the fact that she was their 19th child. Some people basically said the family deserved to have a fragile preemie.
I don't watch the Duggar's show. It doesn't appeal to me, mainly because I have enough chaos in my own house. From what I hear from people who do watch the show, the family seems to be a loving one and the children are fairly well adjusted. Duggars aside, I wonder this: why do we feel it is our place to tell anyone how many children they should have.
When the subject of more children comes up, people often say "you're done having kids, right?" Why? In theory I get it: In this day and age, four children is considered a large number, four at once can be unthinkable. But it's not unheard of for families to have multiples and then decide to have more children, nor is it irresponsible. Having a large family doesn't automatically equal living on the dole.
I never imagined myself having more than two children. Now here I am with twice that number and I love my life. Families come in all sizes. We walk a slippery slope when we put limits on what that size should be.