Katherine Schwarzenegger loves being a stepmom
Katherine Schwarzenegger feels lucky to be a stepmother as well as mom to her own kids.
Katherine Schwarzenegger thinks being a stepmother, as well as a mom, is a "blessing".
The 35-year-old author has daughters Lyla, five, and three-year-old Eloise, and son Ford, 11 months, with husband Chris Pratt and thinks it is "wonderful" that she also has a role to play in helping the Guardians of the Galaxy actor and his ex-wife Anna Faris raise their 13-year-old son Jack.
She told People magazine of her relationship with Jack: "I've learned so much and continue to learn so much. Just like parenting, you learn something new every single day.
"It's a blessing for me to be able to be in the role of a parent and also a stepparent.
"A lot of people aren't able to do or experience both. I feel really grateful to be able to experience both and continue to learn a lot and grow in both of those spaces."
Katherine hopes her podcast BDA (Before, During and After) Baby can help others find a sense of community.
She said: "My goal with BDA Baby is to really provide a community of support and also to have conversations about things so people feel less alone in their journey at whatever phase of parenting or life that they're in."
And she has similar goals for her upcoming children's book Kat and Brandy, which is released next week.
She said: "I want to, of course, tell a sweet story that kids will enjoy reading, but I also want this book to allow one child to feel less alone in their journey.
"I want them to read the story and see themselves in Kat, the main character, and say, 'She was afraid of something and she was able to work through those fears, now I feel encouraged to work through my fears.' That's my goal with really everything that I do."
In July, the writer revealed she had hired a stepparenting coach to help her with Jack before she and Chris got married.
Speaking to Parenting + You with Dr. Shefali, she said: "I got that right when we got engaged. It's been incredibly helpful for me and also just understanding my role as a stepparent.
"Stepparenting, like parenting, has no handbook. Because I have the benefit of being in both roles. Stepparenting 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."
