Odd fact of the day. Kitty Dukakis is Jason Chaffetz' brother's mother.

[Cooley Hurd]

Last edited Mon Apr 10, 2017, 09:08 AM - Edit history (2)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitty_Dukakis#Life_and_career

At age 19, she dropped out of college to marry John Chaffetz. They had one son, John. The marriage did not last and she moved to Brookline.[6] Her former husband later remarried and had a son, Jason Chaffetz, who is now a Republican Congressman from Utah.

I did not know that!

On edit, I guess that stepmother, while technically correct per the definition of stepmother, maybe is not correct in any real sense. My ex-wife had children after we were divorced, and I don't feel like I'm their "stepfather" in any way.

[OldHippieChick]

1. Maybe I define stepmother differently than you do, but

I don't believe she is Jason's stepmother. If his father were to remarry NOW, that woman would be his stepmother, not someone to whom he was married before Jason was born.

[Cooley Hurd]

3. Per definition, she is:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stepmother

A stepmother or stepmom is the wife of one's biological father, who is not one's biological mother.

She was married to John Chaffetz and isn't the biological mother of Jason. Per the definition, that's what she is to Jason.

[OldHippieChick]

5. With all respect you are reading the definition as if it says

"any woman ever married to one's biological father", when in truth it should read "a woman who is the wife of your biological father, after your birth to your biological mother". If your reading were correct Ivana Trump would be the stepmother to Barron and she is not.

[Cooley Hurd]

6. I understand where you're coming from...

But the definition is what it is, not what we wish it to say.

[OldHippieChick]

7. Sigh ...

n/t

[sarah FAILIN]

24. go look at the wiki again

I fixed it so we won't have this turmoil again, lol

[AgadorSparticus]

9. You don't understand the definition of a step parent. The key word is current.

[Cooley Hurd]

10. In what definition?

[AgadorSparticus]

11. Here is Miriam Webster's definition. Key word here is after:

: someone that your mother or father marries after the marriage to or relationship with your other parent has ended

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stepparent

[Cooley Hurd]

12. I changed my OP after consideration...

[AgadorSparticus]

16. It was just so you would know. Sounds good.

[AgadorSparticus]

13. Here is the definition of a step mother at dictionary.com

stepmother
[step-muhth-er]
noun
the wife of one's father by a later marriage.

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/stepmother

[kcr]

19. It's not common for exes to be thought of as step parents.

Ex-spouses usually don't live in the home or serve as a parental figure for any children their exes have after the divorce, and are sometimes completely out of the picture with no contact whatsoever, especially if there were no children in the marriage.

And on edit I do see that you changed your op I hope you're not banging your head on you desk at this point

[VOX]

14. An ex-step-parent has no biological bond or legal claim to former stepkids.

Of course, the relationship between the two parties can continue only if they desire to do so (and other involved partners give their consent).

But there is no blood tie (never was), and no legal claim, which lasted only as long as the marriage.

[Cooley Hurd]

15. I changed the OP...

[VOX]

20. Nice! And it sounds even weirder now!

Well done.

[Cooley Hurd]

22. whatever...

[unblock]

2. I don't think that makes her his stepmom

She's his half-brother's mom, though.

I don't think my ex-wife is mini-Unblock's stepmom

[Mike Nelson]

4. We need more...

...terms for relations! They are on the same family tree.

[Thor_MN]

21. What drives me crazy is the lack of a collective word for nieces and nephews.

Or aunts and uncles.

I have 6 nephews and one niece. Awkward when I'm talking of them as a group.

[Rhiannon12866]

8. Yikes! If they have a "blended family," that must be one uncomfortable Thanksgiving!

[KittyWampus]

17. However it works out in actual terminology... your conclusion is what came to my mind.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

18. Is Jason Chaffetz also his own grandpa?

[cbreezen]

26. I knew someone would go there!

[UTUSN]

23. Yip, & close in Dukakis family events

[coco22]

25. Orrin Hatch fits in there somewhere..

he is someones brother,cousin,uncle,etc..Somehow he is connected to Chaffetz.