Anneriek Favelle

The stepmother role comes with laundry, logistics, and a villain costume you didn't ask for. It also comes with something no one talks about: the quiet power of being the adult who chose to stay.

You've had this fight before. Maybe it was about the dishes. Maybe it was about how they spoke to you in front of their parents. Maybe it was about sex, or money, or who forgot to book the thing. The topic changes. But somehow, it always ends up in the same place. You say your thing. They say their thing. You feel that familiar heat rising in your chest. They get that look on their face—the one you know too well. And before you know it, you're both doing the thing  you always do. You shut...

You've probably heard it before: "It takes 21 days to form a habit." Or maybe you've seen the slightly more generous version: "Give it 30 days, and it'll become automatic." It's advice that sounds scientific, feels achievable, and fits perfectly on a motivational Instagram post. There's just one problem: it's not true. What the Science Actually Says Recent research paints a much more realistic—and honestly, more compassionate—picture of how habits actually form. A comprehensive 2024 review...