It's a common misconception... one that I won't deny, I enjoy

Today, we went to take Carli (Ty's daughter) to get her ears pierced.
She had bounced around all morning long excited for the time to come.
When we arrived at the store, she excitedly picked out the pair she wanted.
She hugged me and then she hugged her dad and squealed.

And then it happened.
Her fears of what was to come overwhelmed her.
She sat in the chair tears streaming down her face, body shaking, saying, "I can't do this! I can't do this!"

Ty tried to get her to calm down, but she just cried harder and harder.
So I asked if I could try.
I sat down in front of her, held her hands, and we talked about happy things.
Then the clerk said, "It's okay. You can hold your mom's hands while we do this."
"She's not my mom, she's my dad's girlfriend." and she smiled.

Later, we went for Starbucks.
The woman behind the counter said to Cam (Ty's son), "Would you like your mom to hold this for you?"
Cam wasn't paying attention, so I just smiled and handed his drink to him.

Ty and I have a very loving relationship towards each other and each other's kids. It's not uncommon to see us loving and hugging them as parents should.  So, if the love others see makes us look more like a family, so be it.