One in five Australians is now estimated to being part of a stepfamily. A new video pays heart-warming tribute to the extraordinary impact that stepdads can have on children’s lives.
Budweiser have released a short film sharing the true stories of stepchildren who astonished their stepdads by officially ditching “step” from their title and asked to be legally adopted.
In the video, three grown-up stepchildren share how, after some initial suspicion, they eventually grew to love the new father-figure in their life
One man featured named Victor, says, “I didn’t really have like a close relationship with my actual dad, so when I met Mark, I was like, ‘Oh, this is like what a dad is.'”
His stepdad Mark says, “Watching Victor grow, watching the person that he’s become has been amazing, and to know that maybe I’ve had a little bit of influence on that has been awesome.”
Another woman in the film says that she used to fantasise that her mom and biological father would get back together and she “was not having it” when Randall, her stepdad, came into the picture.
Gradually, however, her love for Randall blossomed. “Everything that my actual biological father promised that he would do, you actually came through and did,” she tells him.
At the end of the short film, each stepchild presents their stepdad with adoption papers and asks them to make his role official. Grab a handkerchief (yes, even you tough guy) and check it out.
For every comment the film receives across social media before June 16, Budweiser has pledged to donate $1 to the Stepfamily Foundation, a nonprofit that supports blended families.