Pennsylvania bride Katie Muss takes her role as step-mom very seriously. She knew that marrying her husband, Jeremy, meant also committing her life to his 4-year-old son, Landon.
Katie Muss
But for Katie, marrying into the Wade family was a “package deal” that stretched beyond just Jeremy and Landon. It also included Landon’s mom (Jeremy’s ex-wife), Casey, as well as Casey’s husband, Tyler.
The 24-year-old step-mom shared a touching video on Facebook of her reading “co-parenting vows” to Casey and Tyler during her and Jeremy’s wedding.
Katie thanked the couple for allowing her to play a role in Landon’s life, and for being a friend to her along the way.
“First, I want to thank you for accepting me as your friend and allowing me to be a part of Landon’s life,” Katie said. “I promise to be an amazing mother to your son. I will guide, teach and love him every single day.”
Katie Muss
After giving the tearful speech, she turned to her soon-to-be son, Landon, and bent down to present him with vows she’d written for him.
“I promise to stand by you, listen to you and love you every day. I promise to love daddy with all my heart. I promise to be a best friend to mommy and your daddy Tyler. We will be one big family that I promise you will have for the rest of your life.”
Katie Muss
In a separate post, Katie reveals that she and Casey haven’t always gotten along. In fact, they were virtually enemies when Landon was an infant.
“Landon’s mom (Casey) and I hated each other,” Katie wrote. “So many stories, rumors and judgments, but what would you expect? That’s all we ever saw. That’s the norm. You don’t like the ‘other person.’”
Katie says it wasn’t until she woke up one day and realized she hated the person she’d become, and making a change started with building a trusting relationship with Casey.
They first reconciled just before Landon turned a year old, and have since grown to be incredibly close.
“I didn’t tell anyone what I was doing,” Katie says about the vows. “I not only vowed to Jeremy. I gave a vow to Casey and Tyler. Then I vowed to Landon, and then to Jeremy. I wasn’t just going into a marriage with Jeremy and needed his trust and respect, but I needed Casey and Tyler’s too. One thing I promised was to be ONE family always. And I know without hesitation, we will never break that promise.”
Katie even gave Casey a bracelet that matched the ones she gifted her bridesmaids with.
Katie Muss
Though Casey was touched by the bracelet, it was the co-parenting vows that were the real gift in her eyes.
After the ceremony, “Casey wanted to kill me!” Katie said. “She told me ‘Hey, a little warning would have been nice!’ And then we laughed.”
Landon’s four parents hope their relationship and continuously growing bond with one another helps others to see that co-parenting IS possible. Katie hopes their relationship will inspire others to find a healthy balance with kids and exes, and to ultimately “BE that CHANGE.”
