Gabrielle Union "didn't know what to do" when she became a stepmother.
The 50-year-old actress tied the knot with former NBA star Dwyane Wade, 41, in 2014 and became a stepmother to Zaire, 20, Zaya, 15 and nine-year-old Xavier.
She admitted she was unsure what her role was in the family as their mothers were alive.
She said: "I think my journey to self – I had to go back to childhood and examine how I was parented. So when I became a stepmom I was like: 'I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing. They have a mom, she's alive. I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing, but like I'm here with them every day. Am I supposed to be a friend?'"
The Bring It On star eventually went on to have daughter Kavia, four, with Wade.
She said she had learnt how to be consistent with her newfound brood and realised what was not going to work.
She told Hello Beautiful magazine: "I had to figure out how to be consistent and nurturing and compassionate and love for each of them. I knew that one size fits all was not gonna work."
Union previously explained that up until she became a stepmother, she had no intention of becoming a parent herself until she tied the knot with Wade and realised that there was nothing else she would rather do.
She said: "I never wanted kids. Then I became a stepmom, and there was no place I'd rather be than with them!"
