I’ve been so busy writing my latest book (and trying to find out when the editing will be done with my stepmom book) that I haven’t posted any new stories. But when this happened, I had to post: 
My stepdaughter, Jessie, is a talented artist. But she never wants to show her dad and me her latest drawings. We beg, we cajole, we even try guilt trips. Nothing works. One of my students is also quite the artist, and she proudly shows me her work. When I told her that my own stepdaughter won’t share with me, she said, “Well I rarely show my mom any of my work either.” So I came up with a plan.
One night when I got home after work, I knocked on Jessie’s door, and then slowly opened it, poking my head around the corner. She’s always wearing earbuds, so she never hears me knock. She saw me and gestured for me to come in. As I stepped into her room, I noticed she was diligently drawing in her art pad. But as soon as she saw me, she quickly closed it and flipped it over.
“Oh, come on! Show me your latest work. I love seeing what you’re drawing. You are so gifted!”
But, to no avail. So I tried my new tactic, a surefire approach. With a sly smile, I said, “My student who is also an artist will show me her work, but she won’t sure her mom. But I’m not your mom. I’m your stepmom, so come on. Show me what you’re drawing.”
She looked up at me with her big blue eyes and said, “But I think of you as my mom.”
That was it. Suddenly the artwork didn’t seem to matter so much. I said, “You just made my day.” Then I hugged her and kissed her and floated out of her room on cloud nine.