The first girlfriend to meet our family was like a 1980s Dolly cover girl, improbably chocolate box pretty, with a smile that stretched for days, mild anxiety and a habit of dropping used tissues.

She reminded me of girls I wasn’t friends with at school — jealousy of that eastern suburbs polish and “I am destined for a rich husband” vibe makes me judgey — but from the get-go I decided the way forward was to love everyone my kids did. I’d be a cheer squad, not a jury.

Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz at the Burberry winter 2025 show at the Tate Britain.Credit: Dave Benett

That girlfriend came on holidays, to a family wedding, is with us forever in school formal photos. But not with us in actuality. She was a teenage dream who flamed out. I do still have her Country Road beach towel. I lied about it being lost on the Gold Coast trip because I liked that we could keep a tangible piece of her for summers and summers.

Since then, other gorgeous people have been folded into our family via romance with my kids. It’s been easy to give open arms and heart. They’ve all brought something wonderful, from Steph’s morphing of farm girl practicality with urban interior design cool to the firecracker who ran laughing........

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