The Stepkids In This Video Hated Their Stepparents. Then Something Changed

"Blood does not make you family. It's the relationships you have that makes you family." 💗

There's an ugly truth behind most happy, long-time blended families: At some point early on, doors were likely slammed in anger, the kids shouted "you're not my dad (or mom)!" and both parents doubted if they'd make it past the first year. 

As a new Angel Soft commercial points out, bringing two families together isn't easy. The clip, part of the brand's "Be Soft. Be Strong" ad campaign, features stepparents and stepkids who admit that growing to accept -- let alone love -- each other took a lot of time. 

"There was a dinner at his aunt's house where he pretty much said he hated me," one stepmom tearfully says of the early years. 

Every one of the stepkids interviewed admitted they weren't big fans of their stepparents at first. Some of the kids were just plain mean:

But with time and maturity, they bonded. 

"I love this man as much as I love my biological father," one stepdaughter says of her stepdad. "There's no difference."

Hearing how these people embraced each other as family will make you want to grab a box of tissues. (Or maybe a roll of toilet paper, since this is an Angel Soft commercial after all.)

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Love After Divorce
(01 of31)
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"I would go through the hell of my divorce a million over to have these two little boys in my life. They have taught me more about unconditional love, life and myself in their precious short lives than I had ever discovered in my 25 years before them." -Hannah Robinson (credit:JN Photography )
(02 of31)
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"Love after divorce is wonderful. We're a big blended family now." -Barry Fraser (credit:Barry Fraser)
(03 of31)
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"I didn't know if it would even be possible to find love after divorce, but I met my true match when I was 40, right when I least expected it. And at 44, I had the child I never thought I'd have. If it hadn't been for these late-in-life events, I wouldn't have found out about the cancer inside me until it was too late. They discovered it during the C-section that brought our daughter into the world. All I can say is, never question the timing of the universe!" -Joanna Montgomery (credit:Joanna Montgomery)
(04 of31)
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"I would define love as the bond between me and my son. I love that I caught on camera the way he looks at me! That's unconditional love!" -Jessica McCarthy (credit:Jessica McCarthy )
(05 of31)
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"This is what love looks like after divorce. After taking the time to love myself again, I met a man who loves me for me. Love IS possible after divorce. This is proof." -Melissa Hyatt (credit:Kimberly Hyatt Jackson Photographics )
(06 of31)
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"Nahla, my red-nosed pitbull is love in the most perfect way for me. She watched as my marriage crumbled in the hands of my abusive husband. Though she couldn't save me physically -- I had to do that myself -- she saved me emotionally. I credit my strength and bravery to her. She was (and is) a steady ear to listen and paw to hold." -Jenny Sampley (credit:Jenny Sampley)
(07 of31)
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"After divorce, I found solo happiness, then meet an amazing girl, got married and we now have a two-year-old princess and another one on the way next month." -Matt Simms (credit:Matt Simms)
(08 of31)
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"Three years after my divorce, my daughters Emily and Sarah define love for me. They exemplify the true meaning of unconditional love: so pure, honest and true. They love without fear, nor judgement of others. They don't hold grudges or count rights or wrongs. They show me the true meaning of love. After the divorce I thought I wasn't capable of finding that love again but my children remind me daily that I never lost it." -Susan Grace (credit:Susan Grace)
(09 of31)
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"This is love. We are a newly married and blended family. What a crazy ride to get where we are now. And oddly enough, my ex and I have found a pretty civil way to handle parenting after divorce." -Nicole Messer (credit:Afton Marie Photography)
(10 of31)
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"Love after divorce is all about showing and sharing with my son what is good and right in life!" -David Gray (credit:David Gray )
(11 of31)
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"Divorce, for me, has meant happiness. Don't get me wrong, divorce is hard as sh*t...but then that wasn't far off from how married life was for me. My life is so much easier now. I can be a better, happier mom for my kids. I've also had a lot of fun meeting new people and I recently met a guy who was also going through a divorce and has kids who are about the same age as mine. Neither off us is ready to jump into anything serious, but both agree that we enjoy each others' company. Life is good!" -Erin Delpercio (credit:Erin Delpercio)
(12 of31)
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"This is me hanging out with my BFF wolf pack. This is what love is all about after divorce!" -Dominique Lamb (credit:Dominique Lamb)
(13 of31)
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"This is me and my new partner Jamie Laban. I couldn’t be happier and my three children from my previous marriage love and adore the three more children created from this new relationship!" -Wendy Fox (credit:Wendy Fox)
(14 of31)
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"This is what love looks like now for me: co-sleeping with the kids, pushed to the edge of the bed, but giving my girls the security they need right now and seeing their sweet faces when I open my eyes every morning " -Leslie Foxworth (credit:Leslie Foxworth)
(15 of31)
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"I found my amazing smile and started to love myself again after 13 years of loving the wrong person. I will never place someone else's happiness before my own." -Armando Ramirez (credit:Armando Ramirez)
(16 of31)
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"Love after divorce is realizing that the one who saves you and gives you your happy ending is not Prince Charming, it's the little girl who calls you mommy!" -Yanely (credit:Yanely)
(17 of31)
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"After going through a divorce, it took a while to let my guard down and let someone in. But my current husband accepted my past and my baggage and helped me see the good in me. Love after a divorce is scary but I'm glad I let him in because he makes me strive to be better and loves me. We now have a beautiful baby girl together." -Marissa Riembauer (credit:Troy Ryan )
(18 of31)
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"I'm sending this photo on behalf of my amazing mom who would want me to send it (if she had a Twitter and knew how to use it -- ha). Love is an awesome mom and her three kids who don't need a dad in the picture!" -Hannah Losi-Strader (credit:Hannah Losi-Strader)
(19 of31)
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"Being divorced means I can visit my family in Hawaii more often. (credit:@NASCAR_Hula)
(20 of31)
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"I would say that as I a newly divorced single mom, love comes in smaller, messier packages but is unconditional and completely spontaneous." -Denise Lee (credit:Denise Lee)
(21 of31)
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"Life and love after divorce is many hours spent at CrossFit, taking on new and exciting challenges (Spartan Race -- killed it!), dancing in the street and a new boyfriend." -Juliana Galardi (credit:Juliana Galardi)
(22 of31)
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"This is my girlfriend Jennifer Henley whom I met five years after my divorce. We've been dating five months and I couldn't be happier! ❤️" -Ron Hernandez (credit:Ron Hernandez)
(23 of31)
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"Here's a photo of my son with my parents, my ex's parents, his step-father's parents and my ex-husband. We are one big happy dysfunctional family but we're strong, healthy and happy." -Kelly Kesler (credit:Kelly Kesler)
(24 of31)
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"Well, life after divorce certainly has its ups and downs. (And I won't be cliché enough to say there's more ups!) This picture of my boys and I sums up how I define love after divorce." -Sara I. (credit:Sara I. )
(25 of31)
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"Since the divorce, my daughter Nora and I have leaned on each other as mother and daughter in a a whole new way." -Erin Hendrickson (credit:Erin Hendrickson )
(26 of31)
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"Here's my son and me. He's 12 and has autism. He and his younger brother are my everything." -Robyn Rodriguez Gillis (credit:Robyn Rodriguez Gillis)
(27 of31)
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"This is what love looks like to me post-divorce and I wouldn't trade it for anything!" -Jen Ischay (credit:Jen Ischay )
(28 of31)
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"Love after divorce? It looks something like this..." -Amanda Amato (credit:Amanda Amato )
(29 of31)
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"I discovered love after my divorce. My attitude toward men has changed quite a lot. I learned what was really important to me in life and how to live on my own." -Maryam Dadkhah (credit:Maryam Dadkhah)
(30 of31)
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"Here we are, a whole lot happier!" -Ashley Croom (credit:Ashley Croom )
(31 of31)
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"Here is a pic of me and my two boys on Mother's Day this year. This is love to me since my divorce." -Claire Leek (credit:Claire Leek )

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