Article By Dani Alpert
How did I feel when my boyfriend Julian and I broke up after nearly eight years and the fate of my relationships with his kids, Nicole and Tyler, unknown? It felt like I’d been fired, asked to pack up my belongings and leave the house key under the mat.
For years, my identity had everything to do with Julian and the kids. I contorted, knotted, and sacrificed, investing my time and emotional energy into our relationships. And over time, I fell in love with them, only to see it all implode. I remember my first thought was, “What happens now? What happens to me and Nicole and Tyler? Could I still call myself the Girlfriend Mom? Was I the Ex-Girlfriend Mom?”
The kids and I...