I am sure there are some, but probability speaking if you aren't here things are going good.

Define: "success"

I believe Rags has one but he is a stepdad. The success rate is much higher for CP stepdads than it is for NCP SMs which is practically nill to dismal.

I have a success story with my "first" skid. (I'm here because of DH's kids, my "new" skids!)
She is grown and on her own. I love her like my own. She was 2 when I came into her life, 4 when I became her stepmom, and 14 when I divorced her dad.
She lived primarily with BM until she was 12, then with us full time. After her father and I split, *I* continued to raise her. She was in my wedding to my 2nd husband.
Most of the stories I read...I've been there, done that. For me, it was worth it. I handled things VERY differently than some people on here, though. I ALWAYS treated her as an equal member of the family even when she was part time. She had her own room, we "waited" until she was with us to celebrate holidays and such, and always included her in things like vacations. My XH and I had 3 children together. I told people I had "four" kids, attended her school conferences, went on her field trips, etc. Even as a NCP SM. I was the one who taught her how to ride a bike, rollerblade, drive a car, etc.
Her BM is a royal pain in the ass most of the time. Things got slightly better after about ten years

Can't call myself a veteran (only three years in deployment), but I DO consider myself one of the "walking wounded."

7 years here. My SS and I have a great relationship. I love him, he is an amazing little boy. He loves me, he respects me, he knows that I am the one that takes care of things for him (everything). He would never dream of disrespecting me. I am here because BM is nutty and irresponsible, but even at that, she respects that I am the Stepmom, and knows that I take care of SS just like I do my own girls.

Now, when SS becomes a hormonal teenager, things may change. I am under no illusion that he is perfect. I am sure we will battle just like any other parent and a teenager, and the fact that I am a STEP parent will play a big role in how that all pans out. But thus far, sucessful blended family. My kids love my DH, respect him and all of that good stuff. And the kids are well adjusted to having 2 homes, 2 sets of parents. They call each other brother and sister. Never step. Just family.

I feel like a partial success. We went through hell with BM and SD. But, SS13 we just received full custody of with vistation with his mom for another 9 months. I love this kid. He is great. Now I get to parent him and she can not say a word. SD15 is out of our house and we have no relationship with her. That to me is partial success. I am not miserable like I was when she lived here and my marriage couldn't be stronger.

BM is still in our lives, but very restricted on what she can affect now. SD15 is her problem. She created that mess, she is left to deal with it. There is no CS. We waived it. No college we have to pay for and lawyers say we are not responsible for anything she does. It did not have to be this way, BM created it. But, we did the right thing everytime and finally are getting what we want. Would DH like his daughter in his life? Yes. Is he willing to do it this way? No. He truly has written her off. Such a shame. But, I feel success slightly having come out of this with my marriage intact.

About three weeks ago, DH and I talked about SD and some of the stuff that went down throughout the years. Because of some of the stuff I had read on here, I told him how much I appreciated how he handled things. I acknowledged having made some mistakes and his response was " you have had an incredibly positive impact on SD, you have done so much more right then you ever did wrong".
That^^, I consider a success. I did stoop down to her level a few times, and I knew it was wrong. Had I not known that I could and should do better than that- it would not have been a success.

How about one success, two so-so and 3 yet to be determined?

My stepmother would tell you that our relationship is a success. I was absolutely horrible to her as a skid after I turned 14. She detached and we both lived in self-created hell. My BD was pretty much a potted plant in the house and not involved in the drama until it reached catastrophic proportions. However, somehow over the past 30+ years we've built a wonderful relationship and friendship. My father has passed and we are the last two standing (she has no kids of her own). She taught me how to be a successful adult and human - and for that, I'm grateful. We take an active part in each other lives and I will be by her side for whatever the rest of her journey brings.

I have a somewhat distant but caring relationship with skids from my ex-H (SS25 & SD27). I was with their father for 15 years. Very bumpy road with their Disney Dad and had unbearable issues when the SD came to live with us when she was 16. Very ugly divorce with their dad two years ago. But, she sent me picture of her wedding dress and I just received an invite to the wedding. I was very touched that she still considers me part of her family. SS is even more distant with me but I think he was very upset when I divorced his father and how I handled the situation. I should have made more of an effort while the divorce was underway to connect with the kids individually.

My live-in SO has three skids (10, 13, 16) and a POS BM. I have a good relationship now with the kids and their BD is a responsible parent. We'll see how this turns out...

If success to you is a happy life then yes we have succeed. Skids are now 21 and 19. One has apartment with friends, and ok job and hasn't asked us for $$ in 6 months (knock on wood). Other is at college and except to gripe that her allowance is not enough we haven't heard from her. Best of all we no longer have to see or speak to BM. Perfect,it is not. But after 16 years of turmoil, I'll take it.
CS is over for us and we are doing things long put off now that we have extra $$. Next month DH and I are taking the bios on a 7 day Caribbean cruise. Also we are updating the kitchen and adding a deck to the house. Oh and I got a NEW car, no longer driving a 10 year old minivan.

I've had success with the older one, as he's aged and been a victim of his mothers moods, he has come to realize why his dad left, BM transferred all her hate against my husband to her oldest son when husband left her. Oldest knows I'm not the evil golddigging stepmom I was painted out to be. Now the youngest thats another story, lazy, mooch, drug addicted drunk, I was not allowed to discipline and he ran over my like an 18 wheeler, well we don't talk and he's not allowed on the property without his father present. Used to hurt to see husband hurt by his youngest but you know what? I didn't break him I don't have to fix him and he's a product of my husbands piss poor parenting, I just keep my mouth shut but my husband often makes comments that he wishes he would have listened to me.

I guess I keep going back to "define success". Some of the successes seem pretty sad to me, but I guess that compared to how things were, they are still a success.
Our story isn't a success because the skids were good, although one is; it's a success because of the adults. We made each other a priority, yet we would have never dreamed to make the other tell us we matter more than out kids. Maybe that is because we each had kids, so we knew what that means. We almost always stood up for each other. DH has no weird thing going with BM , but I also never felt the need to bad mouth her and never, ever with the kids. We each work, contribute to the family, and neither ever expressed a problem with the other providing for their own and...I am not a "shopper". We remind each other that we are the grown ups. Neither one of us has a history of ever cheating, on anyone.
We have some problems, and there is arguing, and there will always be a Sd issue here and there, but I am thankful to have this family. DH is definitively worth the troubles with SD. Dh and my daughter have their problems too, but , as my daughter said" He is the least creepy man I have ever met". Her father was creepy, so that is her measuring stick.
When SD would go to her mom's for a while, and not come here, and blame me- he never bit into that.
Good men are hard to come by and I know I am very lucky.

I guess it depends on what you define as success. I have been with my husband for 20 years and there have been quite a few bumps in the road. The one thing that has helped me cope is lowering my expectations of the two oldest ones. I kept thinking and hoping that if i did this or that they would somehow "like me" and that was a pipe dream. I have accepted the fact that our relationship is always going to be what it is and to be honest i am OK with that. We get along and i have figured out how to keep my boundaries up so that they know they cannot just do or weasel something out of either of myself or my husband. With the youngest one, who i helped raise from 9 on, we actually have a really good relationship. He realizes now how much i did for him and tried to teach him. His new wife is awesome and the funny thing is after 20 years she is probably the only one now that realizes how bizzarre the other SKids are and the ex wife. She sees it and now i feel like i am not the crazy one!

I've only been on the battlefield for a few years, but it was a hell of a war. I'd have to say that I now see success based on the sheer fact that SD (27) no longer lives here, so she no longer annoys me. Kind of like getting rid of ants or other pests. Once you get rid of them, you don't focus on them any more.

Sadly because of all the drama SD caused, we really don't have a relationship. And I'll be the first to admit that while I'm sorry things turned out that way, I prefer to keep her at arms length because I know who she is and what she's capable of. Fortunately I've had no issues w/BM . . .guess she felt SD was causing enough hell already.