“Help! I don’t love my step-kids! Now what do I do?” If there’s one question I get asked more than any other, this is it! Whether the couple is engaged and preparing to combine families or they are already married, this is a common fear.
My reply to this is, “Who told you you had to [...]
Being a parent is one of the toughest jobs on earth. Being a step-parent is even harder. Many second marriages with blended families fail for this very reason.
What often adds to and makes the situation worse are unrealistic expectations. The challenges facing a step-parent are indeed very widespread, with over 1 million Americans becoming step-parents [...]
Early on in my stepfamily life I wanted to get on well with everyone, be happy, be energetic and be everyone’s friend – especially the children. For me, the desire to be accepted by them was significant. My stepchildren were then 3 and 9.
The desire to be accepted was present at different levels for each [...]
There are, in this complicated world, a great many step-parents. If you are one, as I am, do you know your legal position in terms of what you can and cannot authorise when it comes to your step children?
Imagine you have recently married and your spouse has three children. Your spouse is off on camp [...]
As a step-parent, you have your work cut out for you because you now have to earn the trust and respect of your step-child.
This is the best way for you to influence the child’s behaviour. Gaining a child’s trust and respect happens over a period of time and is not something that can be rushed.
In [...]
There’s one thing we see in families more and more these days. Actually, it’s been around for most of the last half century, so it’s quite the norm - it is blended families. I don’t think there is one step parent, or step son or step daughter out there that thinks it’s a perfect situation. [...]
Parenting your own children is challenging enough but when you are parenting someone else’s children, the demands are intensified. When a new marriage thrusts you into the role of step parent, you may find the journey to be fraught with obstacles; but with a little sensitivity and a lot of communication you can find the [...]