Well, cat's out of the bag: Disney movies aren't realistic. The portrayal of the evil stepmother has got to be the most aggravating inaccuracies I have yet to see in a Disney movie.

My step mom rocks. It's true, step moms aren't always evil, most of the time, they are really actually great. I hate calling my step mom "step mom" so awhile back, our title changed to "mom of love" and "daughter of love." My great grandfather who passed away had a wonderful, soulful, female pastor who loved the Lord and loved love. When my stepmom introduced me as her stepdaughter to the pastor, the pastor immediately stopped her and said in her thick African accent, "I don't like all that step stuff, you two are united in love." Little did I know at that age how accurate that would be and how much her words would have an impact on our relationship.

My stepmom has never looked to replace my mom; she always made that clear. I would always have a bond with my mother that my "Mom of Love" never wanted to replace. I have always respected that she went into a marriage knowing she would be accepting a new role, becoming a parent without giving birth. My stepmom only wanted to support me and love me like a stepmother should. Now that I am 18 and moved out, I can see how beautifully she raised me. My father spent a lot of time serving our country in the military, and though my mother and I had a good relationship, she lived far from me. In the meantime, my stepmom was investing in me. She taught me so many different things, cared about my life, about my silly high school drama, about my health, and about what I cared about. I have never felt more loved by anyone else.

My stepmom and I once were registering me for school in South Carolina, in the state they have a policy that only a parent or legal guardian can do so. They wanted my dad to register me for school. I was shocked, "Don't they understand, she's basically my parent?" They would've never known if we hadn't told them. My step mom and I look a lot alike and we have the same last name! "If they only knew all she did for me," I thought, "then they would let her register me for school." Sometimes legality has nothing to do with actuality. Legally, she's not my birth parent, but in actuality, she's the parent I'm closest to.

She didn't "helicopter parent" because she realized I was ultimately my mother and father's child and would respect her position as my stepmom. She did stick up for me. When I was being punished, she would always look for my best interest: enough punishment for me to understand what I did wrong but also give my dad perspective that I was a just a girl learning her way.

None of this is to discredit my parents in any way. They both love me dearly, but my stepmom, she's a different breed of wonder woman. She raised me.

Stepmoms aren't evil, in fact, mine is my biggest fan.