“Step-parenting, like parenting, has no handbook,” she explained. “Because I have the benefit of being in both roles. Step-parenting is extra confusing because you aren’t a parent, you’re not a nanny, you’re not an assistant. You have responsibilities in all of those areas but you’re not either of them.”
For his part, Chris has acknowledged just how difficult being a step-parent can be.
“It’s a tough job,” the 46-year-old noted, comparing the task to Motion-capture acting, in which an actor wears sensors to record physical movements before a project is animated. “Parenting is a little bit like mo-cap acting because, in the end, you don’t end up getting the credit you deserve.”
“Children are children and they’re on their own paths,” he continued. “They’re probably having to continually process the fact that they are children of divorce. If a parent is in there doing the hard work of creating structure for a child and holding children accountable, and it’s not a biological child, it can feel thankless. But it’s a really, really important job.”
