The Unexpected in Step-Momming Adventure

I really was not expecting to bond with L as easily as I have. Don’t get me wrong there are still things I just walk away from still. Tantrums for example. W and I are still in the newly engaged part of our life and can’t live together right now due to spacial restrictions on my part. I have horses and they need land, he lives in the city.) So when tantrums come up I step back and let W deal with them. I personally feel I don’t have enough full-time living with them to really jump into this yet. I know it will come at some point, but right now I just remove myself from the situation.
But back to the nice part of this! I am honestly surprised at the bond I am forming with L. We get along so well, and part of that I think is I try to make sure to actually PLAY with him. His birth mom (BM) seems to not play with him like I do. I am game for all kinds of play with him! Games, walks, hide-and-seek, “prop hunt” (hide a toy), dance party, nerf wars, etc. Now I can only take this at his word, but when W and I ask what he and BM do it is a lot of “Oh she lets me play on my kindle and smokes a cigarette.” and “I play with my toys and mom is on her computer.”. It just sounds like she doesn’t play with him like W and I do.
So that is my idea anyway. L is such a sweet boy usually and so smart. So when I attached to him so easily and quickly I was surprised and not at the same time. A little back story… When I was very young, I wanted kids I think. But then a few bad bouts of babysitting, dealing with small kids in my every day life, and seeing the bad crap on social media made me change my mind by the time I was 13 or 14. So in any relationship I went in with the mentality and knowledge that I was not interested in children. So when I met W and we clicked like I have never clicked with anyone before, I put aside my dislike of kids and jumped feet first into this potential role. And BAM! Here I am a couple years later, engaged to a man with a on to be eight year old son.
Was i expecting any of this? Not a smidgen. Am I going to do everything I can to be the best example for L? You bet! So this is the first entry in Step-Momming Adventures. Here is to all the years to come!