“She's probably the strictest person I know,” says 13-year-old Griffin about his stepmother Kristen, who happens to be a police officer.
Kristen came into Griffin’s life after his parents divorced when he was seven. In 2014 his mother, Kate, married Kristen who Griffin now calls mum. He lives with them along with his younger brother, Mac, and baby stepsister, Miller, in the ACT.
But their happy family unit didn't happen overnight.
Dealing with the divorce
Speaking on Insight, in the audience of young people between the ages of 12 to 18, Griffin says he only gets to see his father a couple of times a year as he lives in Newcastle, NSW with his new wife.
His parents are now very good friends Griffin says but seeing them divorce was difficult. “I was really upset about it,” he says, adding, “when they divorced they weren't talking too much.”
“I absolutely despised her at the start.”
His mother and father’s inital lack of communication was upsetting and Griffin eventually confessed to his mum about how he felt. “Mum was like ‘oh, really?',” he says. “So then we went out and had a fun time with just me, mum and dad.”
Griffin’s father has four adult children from a previous marriage and Griffin says he has a “great” relationship with his older half-brothers.
Getting a new mum
While he gets on okay with Kristen now Griffin says their relationship was not as solid at the beginning. “I absolutely despised her at the start,” Griffin reflects. “I just treat her as my mum now.”
And Griffin revealed what it’s like in his household when he tries to break the rules. “If ever I eat something I'm not meant to she'll become like a detective and find out.”
But despite her hard stance, Griffin credits Kristin for helping to shape him as a person.
“Without Kristen I wouldn't be where I am today, I'd probably be running amuck and be really annoying to everyone and probably just doing really bad in school.”
Getting to that point happened overtime as Griffin eventually accepted the rules Kristen put in place and he learnt to respect her.
Kristen does not deny being strict on Griffin and agrees her rules cause them to argue often. “We fight often and argue about things,” she says. The pair have since found a happy medium and Kristen is in tune with Griffin’s feelings.
Griffin’s mother, Kate, says that Griffin often expresses his love for Kristin.
“The mother’s day cards and the birthday cards and everything he always writes for Kristen always say things about how since she’s come into his life he just wouldn’t be the person he was any more,” she says.
“I remember the last one saying if she wasn’t there anymore, he would have a Kristen shaped hole in his heart.”
