Family

Your new world, the blended family, began with the two of you deciding to have a life together. If you don’t work at keeping your union strong there’s little reason to continue with the marriage. Not only should you try…
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Here is Seven Great Ways To Love Difficult In-laws 1. Be AssertiveIn-laws seem to have ideas of their own. Out of respect, it is good to listen and sometimes heed your elders opinions, but sometimes it’s not a very good…
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Don’t let your spouse’s family put a damper on your holiday season. Whether you are going to the in-laws for Christmas or they are coming to yours, there are several ways to enjoy their company without their company destroying your…
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“From the second that you were born, you were the love of mine,” so says Carly Simon in the love song dedicated to her children. It’s the sentiment that most parents feel for their own children. Treating stepchildren equally to…
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Discipline of children is always hard and even more so when it comes to step-children or children blended in. The first most important concept is you as a parent, need to choose your battles. Is it really that important? For…
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“Did you clean your room?” “Have you finished your homework?” “Why does your teacher want to see me?” “Did you take the rest of the cookies?” “Are you crazy?” “What did I do to deserve this?” These are the kind…
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Attachment Styles Attachment styles come from John Bowlby’s and Mary Ainsworth’s Attachment Theory. Attachment Theory shares the psychodynamic view that relationship orientation develops as early as the first three years of life and the patterns continue across the lifespan. Attachment…
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Constantly favoring your own child in a relationship can take a toll on your relationship with your partner as well as hurt the child. Both partners may have different views on a variety of things such as discipline, bedtimes, rules,…
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Parents of stepchildren usually know that there are going to be changes when the two families unite. Dealing with stepchildren does not have to be like a trial or tribulation. It can be a rewarding and loving experience if a…
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An estimated 2.1 million elderly are abused every year in the US. In reality, these alarming statistics are likely much higher than that estimate. According to the American Psychological Association, “For every case of elder abuse and neglect that is…
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It’s a fact in most families, relatives feel they have an unalienable right to meddle. The thought is that since you are related, you should share every intimate detail of your life with each other, and give commentary and suggestions….
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There is a difference in disciplining step-children than your own child. I have been on both sides of the fence, and differences do exist. On one hand, a child is a child, and the pragmatics of discipline should be the…
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Young wives tend to provide mother-in-law advice all the time, but unless you’ve been on both ends of the in-law spectrum, your advice will be given through a limited view of the truth. Wisdom comes from experience, and that’s why…
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No one has all the answers and when it comes to blended families, there will be many, many more questions and issues that may divide rather than unite. Blended families will not only have issues each brings to the relationship, but…
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It is possible to have a happy blended family? Yes, it is possible to have a happy blended family, but it isn’t always easy. Time magazine wrote an article about indicators of a couple staying together until, “death do us…
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So Son, she is your half sister, they are your half brothers, and she is your sister by divorced marriage. And by the way, he is your cousin, my nephew, and yes, I’m younger than him, and even though she…
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All conflicts have a few common ingredients. There needs to be two or more individuals, and a disagreement or misconception must occur.The duration of the conflict is based on resolution, which involves compromise, and who wants to hang on to…
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Chances are if you are a member of a blended family, your trust has been betrayed. The circumstances that have led to your new family are not what you expected in life and things you thought were going to be…
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You have made the decision to marry someone who has children. The mother or father of the children is not around a lot. The kids become very close to you.  Closer than they are with their real parent. What do…
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Building trust is the key to any successful relationship. Ask someone married from more than 50 years their secret to their successful married life; the answer will be we trust each other. Or a mom who adopted a child when…
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Maintaining a quality marriage within a blended family can be hard to do, however, it’s not impossible. Not only does already having a failed marriage make the expectations lower but also having children from previous marriages can cause added stress….
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After 7 years of being remarried, my stepson came into our lives. At the time all my children were adults except for my youngest who was 12 years old at the time. My new stepson is a year younger than…
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We all dream of that “perfect” loving family environment where everyone gets along and life goes along smoothly. In real life, it often is not that way. In any family there are going to be times where there is conflict…
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Step parenting is the toughest job a single person could adopt.  While it is noble to help your chosen mate with life’s challenges, assisting with parenting of children which are not naturally yours is amongst the toughest challenge.  The amount…
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What Corrective Actions are Okay for a Step Parent to Take Whether you are the natural parents of children or a step parent it is vital to be on the same page when it comes to raising the children.  Communication…
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When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world. John Muir. A profound quote that is very applicable to the pull of the step-child around holidays. The child, so many…
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Living with your parents is difficult enough at any age – living with them when you’re an adult can be a monumental challenge, especially if you don’t share your parent’s schedules, attitudes and tastes.  Here’s some steps to making it…
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The blended family holiday or celebration can be a fiery gathering. There are many feelings and traditions to consider. The most successful way to get through these events is to remember that the ultimate goal for everyone involved is to…
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As someone who is a stepchild and a stepparent, I understand both sides of the spectrum. The topic of discipline is one of the touchiest issues any blended family will face. It’s hard enough trying to discipline your own children,…
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Have you ever been placed in an awkward situation among peers, coworkers, or family members?  You know, those situations that have absolutely nothing  to do with you, but you are a sounding board for the opposing ‘parties’ either due to…
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