Hey, can I tell you something? It's more of a confession.

I've known my stepdad for nearly eight years, and before those eight years, so for the first ten years of my life, it was just me and my mum, and my Nan.

My mum and I would do everything together, it was me and her against the world, and she's done a lot for me. It was always us. Obviously she had a few boyfriends, but they were intended to be serious when they met me, but they didn't last, or... I didn't like them — this sounds bad but that's because to my mum, I'm her number one. She cares more about me then anything else.

So, I meet my stepdad, and I can't lie, I didn't like him. At this point I'm at the age where I know what my mum has done for me and sacrificed (but not to the extent I do now) and I could see how happy he made her, so I kept my mouth shut. I didn't say a thing. I locked myself in my room and pretended to like him, and I didn't like him for three and a half years, and my mum never found out.

I slipped up once when I was in Disney World, we was on the bus and I'm not used to being around the family for three weeks (especially since I'm with my step-sisters (one now a step-brother) who never stays for longer then two days), I was also taking the pill for three full weeks — medical reasons — and so I was emotional. I said I feel uncomfortably around him, and he sometimes makes me upset (he's not done anything, I was clingy over my mum). And she felt awful, I could see it in her eyes and I could tell she wanted to make it right, so I shut up and told her later that, 'I was emotional and I miss having just me and you time'. She bought it and we moved on, slowly as mum was still cautious. — baring in mind I'm like fourteen or something like that.

She even asked once if the reason I hid in my room was because of him, I lied and said no.

It's like my second to last year in high school, so at this point I'm nearly fifteen, or something like that, and his work is on the way to school and he'd drop me off. The drive it like ten to fifteen minutes at most. And in the car, we'd get along, and it's that last two years that I began actually liking him.

I love him enough to know he's my Dad, not my stepdad.

The point is, I didn't like him for years but lied so my Mum was happy, I faked it until I made it, and it worked. Now we're all happy. He's my Dad, and my Mum has no idea about any of this, and she never will. She'll have no idea for the majority of my young teenage life I sacrificed my happiness for hers, but I did. And I don't need her to know.

Just wanted to share.