It depends (hahaha) were they behaving? :)

Waitstaff assumes I am the "mom" if they refer to me as mom ss14 used to say "she's not my mom she's my sm" ... then the waitstaff is kind of stumped they don't know how to respond ... now the kids are used to it I guess .... so they do not "correct" waitstaff ...

It depends on specific situations I think ... hubby made me a shirt that says "I am NOT their mother" .... :)

I think you should ask the kids what they want. Many kids do not want a discussion of family stuff in public. Casual acquaintances and waitsfaff have no need to know. I think you are obligated to make certain that people in authority -- teachers, doctors, etc know you are SM. That doesnt mean if SDs coach says OK, we need all parents here at 7AM, you jump up and say, I am not the mom. It does mean if coach calls and says SD is hurt, you say quickly I need to get hold of dad or maom.

I don't clarify it for a comment like that.

If an acquaintance specifically asks "are these your kids?" than I might say "oh,this is my SS ____ and my DD ______." I don't know what the *right* thing to do is. SS refers to me to other people as his stepmom----like, he will say "let me ask my SM" so I figure it doesn't upset him if I refer to him as my stepson. After all, he IS and that is the nature of our relationship.

A lot of times, though, too I will just say "these are our kids, _____ & ______."

It really depends on the situation, who's asking, etc.

When I'm talking with my good, close friends, I always refer to the kids as "my kids" or "our kids." I will say to a friend "oh yes, I can relate, my kids have busy schedules, too."

Thats happened to me several times. In the beginning I felt kind of awkward, as you do. But over time I just learned that it was a natural assumption and I just went with it. If the kids feel the need to correct it let them. I always felt like if I jumped in and said they were my skids then it would make them uncomfortable.

I found out that my middle sd has friends that have no idea I am not her biological mom. She told me that she is embarassed that her mom left them an she did not want others to know!

My ss, who is only 7, has friends whose parents think I am his mom too. He lives with us and I attend all his school functions, bm does not do anything. So I never correct the parents. As far as I am concerned I am his mom.

I use to correct people in the beginning but when the girls started calling me mom on their own accord I stopped. People will occasionaly ask for clarification when the girls talk to school friends about their mother being in prison.

This happened just ysterday as a matter of fact. Another parent was talking to DH while they stood waiting for the bell to ring at the end of the day. She told DH that her son came home saying the girls mother was in prison ans she told him no she's not...their mom lives with them. Dh tthen told her I was actually step mom but they called me mom and their "real mom"(we use the term losely)is in fact incarcerated.

Staff at the school know the score because we had a meeting at the beginning of the year about the situation. Even though they know I'm "step" mom they still call me mom. None of them have ever even seen Bio mom. As far as all the parents and other students...most of them think I am mom because that's what the girls call me. I won't embarass the girls by correcting them and others every time it is brought up even though I am sure that's what absentee BM would expect me to do.

I have always corrected people.

I had one incident where someone said to the the eldest, who in her 20's at the time, something about me being her mom. I corrected them and then she proceeded to bizitch at me in private about how much she hated for people to think that I was her mother. I didn't say it to her, but I really, really wanted to tell her that her lack of manners and public rudeness was a reflection on her mother; and in no way would I want people to mistake me as the one who raised her.

No one has ever thought I'm the mother of my SKids because the ages don't work. (Hubby was a very young father and is older than I am.)

Now my son's StepMom probably looks more like him than I do, so she has often been mistaken for Mom. It bothered me when she did not correct DS's teachers, but it wouldn't bother me one-time-only encounters (what's the point?).

Now it DID bother me when 4th grade DS wrote in his 'My Biography' report that Mom and Dad got divorced in June, Mom & StepDad got married two months later, and little brother was born in December!
Yikes! Not quite how it happened! -- Mom MET StepDad two months after divorce, got married two YEARS later, and little brother was born the FOLLOWING December.

Any wonder why DS's teachers seemed to like StepMom more than me?

"they love me (for now)"
I remember being there!

"her lack of manners and public rudeness was a reflection on her mother; and in no way would I want people to mistake me as the one who raised her."
& I remember being there, too!

I think kk has a good idea;
maybe not "ask" kids what they want, they're very young & likely haven't thought about it, but open a conversation with them & figure it out mutually.

I once was asked to "pass" as someone's mom;
a girl at the office wanted to get her ears pierced.
Yikes!
Thank goodness, her mom heard about it & took her to have it done before I had to come up with an answer.

My SK's mom doesn't live near us, doesn't have anything to do with their daily lives, and sometimes goes for months without contact. Since I am the "mother" that is there for them 24/7 and am expected to play the mother role by their father, I don't feel the need to correct anyone regarding my "title". Wherever there may be legal repercussions, or important people such as teachers, etc., it is made clear that I am the SM and BM is not responsible for their daily care. There haven't been any problems so far with my SK. I did however explain to them why I don't correct people all the time, and they are OK with that. If BM was a regular part of their lives, I would definitely make the distinction for people. Then again, if BM was a regular part of their lives, I imagine they would behave much differently and I certainly would not want that behavior to be a reflection of my "parenting skills".

LOL! Sweeby, that's hilarious! Isn't it funny how kids' perspectives can be so skewed!

This has never happened to me. But, what HAS happened is that people have assumed I was SD's older sister and DH's daughter. Ha ha ha! Boy.....that was awkward!

But I kind of take it as a compliment. I don't look 30 and I'm okay with that :) DH is 16 years older than me so it would be a stretch for him to be my father. But people can be very tactless sometimes and unthinking.

X's GF has been called both "Mom" and "Mom 2". She doesn't correct them at all. Even in situations I think she should, like daycare and baseball. Situations where they should already know the status of our family.

But in a situation like OP's, I wouldn't worry about correcting unless the conversation goes deeper.

I don't correct people unless they are in a position of authority, such as a teacher. SD calls me mom herself 90% of the time, as do her friends. If she speaks to them about her bio-mom she says "my mom (name)"

Many years ago I corrected someone, and it really hurt SD's feelings. Since then I never have unless the situation warranted it. I just told her if she wants to she can, I'd leave it up to her and my feelings would not be hurt if she did.

I am listed as step mom on all her school forms as contactauthorized parent, and when she was younger the school knew me and our situation through volunteer work, so it was never questioned. Now that she is in high school we'll see - I was the only parent at her back to school night as DH was nasty sick and mom didn't bother to attend. Ironic, huh?

I was refered as SO's DD's(20) mother on several occassions. for example we went on vacation and security in the airport commented how nice to see the whole family on vacation: mom, dad and a daughter. we all usually laugh. his DDs look nothing like me, but they don't look like their mother either.

at DD's 27 wedding i was refered as her mother on few occassions (which kind of upset me because I don't look like i can have 27-year-old daughter :( LOL, but then my SO's cousin was refered as bride's mother as well. mother was passed out drunk the entire time :( so people assumed anyone of us helping the bride could be bride's mother. i correct people when it is appropriate and let it go when there is no need.

This has happened to me many times, not only with SGS 8 1/2, but with other kids, friends. I have been embarrassed by SGS 8 1/2 loudly saying "she's not my mom, she's my grandpa's wife!" Yes and it sounds even worse loud and in public! So, I just say that "I'm mom to this one, my DS7, and the others are borrowed" whether it's the step-grandkids or friend's kids.

In terms of people in "authority" positions, I have not experienced that however I would think that teachers etc. would already know. Doctors, not so much, but just clarify with them if need be, no big deal, they don't really care, they just want an adult in charge.

Good luck.