A young mother spoke with Newsweek about the special moment when her husband’s ex-wife visited her and her baby in the hospital, and now the two best friends are singing the praises of their patchwork family.
A video posted on Instagram by Tiffany Paskas and Megan Stortz (@momsoftampa) melted hearts across the internet by showing the moment Stortz met Paskas’ newborn.
Stortz is the ex-wife of Paskas’ husband, and Paskas, 30, said the moment reflected the beauty of their sprawling family structure.
“My husband’s ex-wife and the boys are seeing the baby for the first time because in our blended family she is also part of the family,” Paskas wrote under the video.
@momsoftampa/Instagram
She told Newsweek that she and Stortz bonded when Stortz was “struggling” to co-parent with her ex-husband. It was then that the two realized they had a lot in common, although things didn’t evolve significantly until the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“We were able to spend time together just because we all share custody of their oldest son, and we ended up becoming really good friends,” Paskas said. “That led to our families slowly growing together, as we would often go out with our families to do fun things for the boys.”
During the course of their friendship, Stortz noticed that Paska was having problems with fertility and proposed a generous solution.
“She also made me the honorary mother of her youngest son and shared her title as ‘mommy’ with me,” Paskas said. “This has led to a healthier relationship between her and her ex as parents and has given her eldest the opportunity to have many memories with both sides of his family.”
She said her unconventional mixed setup was enriching and beautiful, the only downsides being other people’s criticism and judgment.
Meeting with her “rainbow baby”
The moment when Stortz met Paskas’ newborn child was poignant not only because of the couple’s close friendship, but also because Stortz had supported Paskas through several fertility challenges.
“Megan was a big part of my pregnancy the whole time, so she was just as excited about the new addition,” Paskas said. “She was happy that I was finally able to have my rainbow baby after many years of heartbreak, and we were so happy that she was a bonus mom to our daughter after sharing her mom title with me all these years.”
On this day, not only did Stortz receive a new title, but also her youngest son, who became the big brother of Paskas’ child.
“Although he is not related to the baby by blood, due to the intermingling of the family, he could not be told that this was not his little sister,” Paskas said.
“Creating this connection has shown us that what we are doing is working in the best possible way.”
