What is a good new word for the term "step-child"?

Just simply call them your child, leave the step out.

Maybe calling a step child isn't bad (after all, that's what they are, just like the step parent is the step parent, not the actual mom or dad), maybe it's we've gotten ultra hyper sensitive in this culture that we now have things for child with disabilities labeled under the category "differently abled"-all these cutesie feel good words actually sound more stupid and offensive than the originals.

Good night do we need to lighten up. A rose by any other word still smells as sweet, and we can try calling a blueberry a banana but it doesn't change the reality of what a blueberry is...

How about we teach our children who are step children that that is what they are, and that's it? Why does everything have to be analyzed to death to where everything could be taken as offensive???

EDIT***just a thought, but step child is simply a term of reference. If that is taken out of our vocabulary and we assign a new term, 20 years from now that NEW term could be deemed offensive and be done away with... and so it could go for the rest of time. That's why we need to just get spines and not freak out over every little thing.

Well you are gonna have to deal with this term because I do not think it is going to be changed anytime soon. Long before Cinderella there were stepparents and mostly done because in those days it really took the two to make it and keep the family alive. Just because there are step parents and kids out there does not mean that there is the 'cinderella syndrom' meaning that the step parent is going to treat their step kids badly. I know this to be a fact because I know of step kids that are cared for better by step mothers or fathers better than the biological parent. My kids have had two step mothers and still have the second one in their lives. She is ready to jump in where my daughter is concerned but she hardly tries with my son that I even can tell. Does not make her a bad person but it does hurt my son she does not try to be more than just 'there' to take care of the house and dote on his sister. There are going to be some of both in this world and no matter what there is...stepfamily is not a bad word either.

I have just read some of the other posts here and they are right...get some backbone and deal with the words as they are set. Another generation from now when a lot of us are gone it won't matter if the terms are used or changed. Being a step anything is not a bad thing at all. It just means you get more 'family' in the process. Being politically correct is what is ruining this nation and if we make everything politically corrcet so others feel good about everything then it is going to be expected. Why can not people just learn that life is not fair at all? No one had it given to them that it would be easy. If stepfamilies were not meant to be they would not be here now. I think people need to just wake up and learn to deal with the world as it is.

You can just refer to him or her as your child from your spouses previous marriage. People may ask questions or be puzzled if you say it your child and they don't know its a step child and then they are looking at you crazy cause you are white as hell and the baby is multi-racial lol I say this cause my dad is white (English decent) and my mother was Cuban (She died when I was 4) and my step-mother is Mexican. Although my mother was Cuban she was fair skinned, blonde hair and blue eyes, my dad is brown hair and green eyes and I am brown hair green eyes....so when my step-mother who is VERY Mexican looking would say I was her daughter....people would look freaked out lol I don't look hispanic at all lol So it just depends....

If the child's "evil" than child-in-law could substitute but if you guys get along just claim her as your child without the step part

Drop the step part. I hate that term also, it makes me think of Cinderella, like you said. I don't call my dad my step dad, I call him my dad.

personally i have a daughter from a different relationship and what we tell her is that although he isn't her biological child that she is extra special to him because he got to choose her for a daughter instead of god just giving her to him as a daughter.

Just your child or your spouses child

Son or daughter.