This Family Wins At Co-Parenting: Viral Photo Highlights Beauty Of A Blended Family

A viral photo of a blended family from Columbus received praises from netizens. It highlighted how one family is winning it at co-parenting.

Emilee Plaayer shared her family's photo on Facebook last Saturday during a game of soccer among other families. In it, Plaayer, her current husband, his ex-wife and her new husband squatted on the ground wearing similar jerseys.

On the jerseys' back were the words "step mom," "daddy," "mommy" and "step dad." In the middle of the adults stood their daughter, Maelyn, age 4, as per Today.

Plaayer, Maelyn's stepmom, said she never thought co-parenting worked. Their family photo, however, proved when adults considered the child first, then it can come together.

The jersey idea came from Maelyn's mom, Clara Cazeau, who divorced her ex-husband, Ricky Plaayer when the little girl was still a baby. The divorce, however, did not prevent the ex-couple from parenting Maelyn together. "The vice president of the soccer complex came to us and said there are a lot of times kids have to come to soccer games alone because the parents can't get along," Cazeau said, as per WTVM Columbus.

Cazeau even had family Christmas shirts made since they also celebrate this holiday together. The mom said they do many things as a blended family. When Maelyn's stepmom gave birth to her younger sister, Cazeau stayed with them at the hospital, as per Huffington Post

The mothers confessed they took the time to adjust to this blended family and it wasn't always easy. Only when they came to an agreement to focus on Maelyn 100 percent did the set up worked and improved.

They don't always go to Maelyn's games as a complete family, especially since Alex Cazeau, the stepdad, is in the army. When all four adults are able to go, however, they make it a point to wear the "team" uniform because that's what their family is all about — one big team.