This article is from a kid’s point of view – one who has suddenly had to get used to having 3 step-kids move in, on a full-time basis. To live with stepbrothers and stepsisters is just like having a friend…
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You and your husband finally adopted a child and you’re hoping that your family will accept this child as your very own. You feel that some in your family will not accept your new daughter. However, you are not sure….
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Every relationship requires time and patience. More so when there are children involved! For a child, your new partner is an instant threat. They have come into their lives and it is obvious that you two are happy. They will…
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A step-parents place is to not try and take the place of their step-childrens biological parents no matter what the situation is. Sometimes step-parents feel it’s their duty to step in and interfere when their step-child is upset or angry…
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Every family has private knowledge, memories of happy times and memories of misfortune. Things they keep close to their hearts as a matter of loyalty. When a child is adopted or lives with another parent and the estranged parent begins…
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The teen years can be challenging to even the most adept of parents, but for stepparents, it can be even more difficult. When you fall in love with and decide to marry a person who has biological children in their…
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As a step child who later became a step parent I have seen both sides of the coin and neither are easy. I have tried to take the lessons from my youth and experience of being a step child into…
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Every child needs to know they are secure and loved. This is often difficult for step parents to know how to provide to their step children. The truth of the matter is it may be easier than they think. The…
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What each child truly expects from his parents and step-parents will be as varied as each individual child. After all, it’s a combination of what the child has been taught to expect from authority, his individual temperament and what he…
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You pour out every ounce of love you have for your blood grandchildren and you never would have dreamed that your son would marry a woman who has children of her own and now you have two step-grandchildren that you…
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You and your intended are about to combine your families and move in together. Exciting, scary, and intimidating are only of the few words you could use to describe the experience on which you’re about to embark. The desire is…
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It is important that natural parents understand their children may be suffering from the trauma of a previous divorce, therefore it becomes important that they get them to open up and discuss residual issues if they plan a second or…
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A good mother in law is hard to find, at least that’s how many women feel who marries a man whose mother is still living. However, their opinion holds true in many cases. The reasons that your mother in law…
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Preparing a child for change should be approached from a sensitive perspective which allows the child to be reassured and emotionally supported before any transition occurs. If a divorce has been particularly bitter, it will have had a bad effect…
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It is a perfectly natural tendency for a parent to have special feelings towards his or her own children. After all these youngsters are their own biological offspring. Therefore, one can argue that, in most normal situations of choice, the…
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No one wants to be the dysfunctional family on the street. Having a blended family makes the odds of that being reality even higher. Screaming, yelling, children walking out the doors, slamming doors, and a mom with frizzed out hair…
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One of the happiest days in your life is when you married your new wife. However, there is one problem with this picture; your kids and new spouse doesn’t get along at all. You’ve even spent a lot of money…
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No one say it’s easy to introduce their love interest to their family, usually children are the ones who have a problem bringing someone home to meet their parents, but it can be equally just as hard for parents introducing…
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Celebrations and holidays can be the ways that we mark the important times, phases and years of life. When it comes to a blended family, the thought of celebrating can immediately bring thoughts and dilemmas to the forefront. For instance,…
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The threads that create the bond between step-parent and step-child can be slow to adhere to one another at first. A step-child is usually skeptical of a step-parent, and some children are even conditioned by a spouse’s ex to distrust…
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Boys and girls handle things differently. We all know this. That is why there are so many books out there about men and women being from different planets. Being young does not change this. When merging families, a boy is…
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Sibling rivalry can result in continued unhappiness in a child’s life. When it comes to step-sibling rivalry, the repercussions can be far worse. A child can easily feel as though a parent may be favoring a new daughter over his…
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For a new stepparent, discovering the proper boundaries that will be needed to discipline your stepchild can be difficult. There are certain rules when taking on the responsibilities of raising another person’s child. Marrying a child’s birth parent doesn’t automatically…
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Trust is defined as the reliance on the integrity, strength and ability of a person or thing. You likely want your step-children to feel this at the start of a blended family, but it’s a thing that must be earned….
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Becoming friends with your step child can be very difficult. This relationship is very complicated and often clouded with emotions. Many times the child wants nothing to do with the step parent, and there isn’t a lot that you can…
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Conflicts inevitably occur within blended families. Simply watch the first seasons of “The Brady Bunch” or “Step By Step” to see many of these issues showcased and resolved with comedic antics. In the real world, however, these problems can get…
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Children need love and crave attention. When one of the biological parents is absent from their life, either by choice or involuntarily, it is natural for the child to form a bond with the step parent who is there. While…
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Blended families have a hard time getting along through most day to days. The truth of the matter families that are not blended do too. Do not feel as that the reason behind your conflict is because your family is…
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A successfully blended family starts with the parents who are initiating the union of two families as one. The attitudes, generosities and kindnesses shown by both parents will set the tone for how the blending of the family happens. This…
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Children need to feel they are loved and accepted by the people who are closest to them. Within the blended family, a step parent has the responsibility of developing a secure and loving relationship with their stepchildren. Relationships of this…
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