Good relationship with in-laws has a positive impact on marital life: When my husband and I were just friends his mother loved me. She thought I was smart and cute and witty. When the relationship changed to dating, I all…
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Anyone who treats a child with disrespect is a monster and for that child to be a part of the family whether they are birth into the family or adopted into the family should not matter, they deserve love and…
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Confusion can only come from a family that has a live-in mistress. There can’t be a wife out there, especially in The United States that would condone her husband allowing his mistress to lay up in a her house. Anytime there…
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Being a stepmother is one of the most frustrating jobs you can take on.  Raising children is never easy but it is especially trying when they are not your own.  A stepmother can quickly find herself the enemy in her…
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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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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 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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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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