Woman praised for how she handles tough moments when her stepdaughter misses her mum

There's a lot that can be said about stepparents, but one woman is proving blended families can be really special if you put the work in. 

Ciayra Ray-Mcilwain shares a lot about her life as a stepmum online, from navigating their blended family to how to handle tough conversations. 

In one video, she shared how she handles her stepdaughter missing her biological mum when they're not together, and people have praised her for it.

Watch the video above. 

In the video, she shared some of the bittersweet moments when her stepdaughter expressed how much she misses her mum - particularly through special milestones - and what she does to help her through it. 

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In one clip, her stepdaughter lost her first tooth and asked her to send a photo to her mum. Her response was, "OK, say cheese!" 

In another clip she's playing mini golf and said, "Having fun golfing, but I still miss my mum" and Ciayra replied, "That's because you love her." 

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At every moment where her stepdaughter felt sad, or proud of something and wanted to show her mum, Ciayra was there to not only validate those feelings, but to help her, even if it was something as small as sharing a photo or video with her mum. 

"One of the hardest most rewarding roles. This girly has taught me strength and courage, I can't imagine growing up with an absent mum but watching her grow & prosper in the midst of it all blows my mind," she captioned the video. 

She's been praised by so many people online, who applauded the way she shows empathy and brings so much kindness to what can be a really tricky situation to navigate. 

"You are a true blessing for your beautiful attitude. She is learning so much from you in so many ways and on so many levels," commented one person.

Another replied, "You handled those questions Perfectly! She is BEYOND LUCKY to have you as a stepmum."

"Not a stepmum, but a mum who stepped in," one user wrote.

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Blended families aren't always easy situations to navigate, but in another post on Instagram Ciayra said one question she's always asked is, "Do you like being a stepmum?"

"People always ask me this and the short answer is NO don't the long answer is because I LOVE IT," she wrote.

"It's so crazy to me that when I look at her I barely remember life before her and I didn't even birth her. My first girly."

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