“It’s been incredibly helpful for me and also just understanding my role as a step-parent,” Katherine said of her coaching sessions during a joint appearance on the Parenting & You With Dr. Shefali podcast last month. “Step-parenting, like parenting, has no handbook. Because I have the benefit of being in both roles.”

“Step-parenting is extra confusing because you aren’t a parent, you’re not a nanny, you’re not an assistant,” she continued. “You have responsibilities in all of those areas but you’re not either of them.”

For his part, Chris acknowledged just how difficult being a step-parent can be.

“Children are children and they’re on their own paths,” he explained. “They’re probably having to continually process the fact that they are children of divorce. If a parent is in there doing the hard work of creating a structure for a child and holding children accountable, and it’s not a biological child, it can feel thankless. But it’s a really, really important job.”

For a deeper dive into Chris and Katherine’s romance and life at home, keep reading…