Hilaria Baldwin on Relationship With Stepdaughter Ireland

An inside look! Hilaria Baldwin rarely addresses her relationship with her 23-year-old stepdaughter, Ireland Baldwin, but the yoga instructor gushed over the model on Instagram.

“Often you hear horror stories about evil stepparents, and I wanted to make sure I did right by the family I was stepping into when I married Alec,” the fitness guru, 35, captioned a photo of herself looking up at Ireland in formalwear on Thursday, April 18. “I love my stepdaughter as much as I love my biological children, and I become a mommy lioness when I see comments that insinuate otherwise. Having a stepchild is a delicate matter. Especially one who is grown.”

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I rarely address being a stepmom, but it is part of our family. I always want to deal with it with such care…so often you hear horror stories about evil stepparents and I wanted to make sure I did right by the family I was stepping into when I married Alec. I love my stepdaughter as much as I love my biological children and I become a mommy lioness when I see comments that insinuate otherwise. Having a stepchild is a delicate matter. Especially one who is grown. I think my relationship with her has been so successful because I never tried to step in as her mommy. She has a good mother, who I have tremendous respect for…and I put myself in Kim’s shoes: if my children ever had a stepmother, I’d want her to let me be number one. When I met Ireland, I said to Alec: if she is not ok with our relationship, I cannot go further. Family is first and she needed to be ok with me. We have never had a fight or a bad moment. Nor have I with her mother. Ireland and I love each other and she knows that I am here for her…and I know that she is here for me. I am inspired by her, look up to her (not just height wise 😂)…she gave her father away at our wedding, is the best big sister anyone could ask for…and I give her space. I don’t ever expect her to be anyone other than herself. As someone who loves her, my job was not to step in and take over…but rather respect what had been for the first 15 years of her life and then become a part of that, in a way that works for everyone. So yes, sometimes my language about my biological children does not include her. Because I did not birth her and I never want to disrespect the fact that she has a wonderful mother. But this will never take away from how much I love her, need her in my life, and think that she is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Please don’t look for trouble where there is none. Love you @irelandbasingerbaldwin …ps after writing this and using the word “step” so many times, I think I know why it is called a “stepparent” now 😂🤪🤔

A post shared by Hilaria Thomas Baldwin (@hilariabaldwin) on Apr 18, 2019 at 8:59am PDT

So what’s the secret to maintaining a great relationship with husband Alec Baldwin‘s daughter? “I never tried to step in as her mommy,” the Living Clearly Method author wrote. “She has a good mother [Kim Basinger], who I have tremendous respect for, and I put myself in Kim’s shoes: if my children ever had a stepmother, I’d want her to let me be number one.”

She added: “As someone who loves [Ireland], my job was not to step in and take over but rather respect what had been for the first 15 years of her life and then become a part of that, in a way that works for everyone.”

The actress and her stepdaughter have “never had a fight or a bad moment,” and Ireland even “gave her father away” when he married Hilaria in 2012.

Ireland is equally taken with her stepmother, as proven in the comments section of the Instagram post. “I prayed for two lesbian moms from the womb but having two moms this way will do,” she wrote, adding a heart emoji.

Alec, 61, and his ex-wife, Basinger, 65, tied the knot in 1993, welcomed Ireland two years later and split in 2002. The Saturday Night Live star married the Mallorca, Spain, native in 2012 and they now share Carmen, 5, Rafael, 3, Leonardo, 2, and Romeo, 11 months.