Beware the Green Eyed Monster: How Jealousy Can Impact Your Blended Family

I tiptoed up to the topic, believing that most of us are pretty sensitive about it: “Sometimes step parents feel…I don’t want to call it jealousy, but…” at which point Kelly, eight years into her step mom experience, interrupted, “Oh, you can call it jealous! I was definitely jealous!—of a six year old, no less!” We were talking about what can often become a defining dynamic between children and step parents, and consequently, a divisive issue for a biological parent and their spouse. It’s not an emotion many of us are willing to cop to, especially if the trigger is … Continue reading →

The Curious Case of Sister-Wives

The other night I stayed up late watching TV because I couldn’t sleep. I ended up tuning into a show called “The Secret Lives of Women.” Apparently the show’s a series and features insight into different aspects of women’s lives. The night I watched the topic was polygamy. I have to admit, other than what I’ve seen from the media, I don’t know much about polygamy. I knew the concept of multiple wives sprung from religious beliefs, but I’ve never understood why any woman would sign up for that type of marriage. (Unless if she was forced into it, like … Continue reading →

Marriage Types: Second

In my last article I discussed how some people have different ideas about marriage than the traditional and “average” marriage that we all think of couples entering. Like people, relationships are different. What works for one couple may not work for another. My first type of marriage was covenant. Covenant marriages are characterized as sharing a deeper bond and stricter divorce rule than other marriages. In this article I will take a look into couples that are entering their second marriage. Second marriages are different from first marriages in several ways. Second marriages can be either a second time around … Continue reading →

Do Men Treat Their Second Wives Better Than Their First?

I worked with a lady that once told me something that I had never really thought about until she mentioned it. Now it seems that I look into it much more carefully. She had been divorced and her previous husband was engaged to be married again. She was dating a man that had also been previously married. His wife had passed away from illness. One day she commented on how men always treat their second wife better than they did their first. Her current boyfriend was married to one of her friends. After her friend passed away the two of … Continue reading →

Is the Second Divorce Easier Than the First?

There are many difficult things that we do in life that seemingly get easier each time that we do them. For example public speaking is usually a difficult and trying task the first time that it is done. However after several months of being in the public’s eye the speaking usually gets easier. In some cases, all it takes is proving to ourselves that we can do it and survive. After that some of the fear is taken out of the equation. I wonder if divorce is the same way? I have never been divorced. I have some friends that … Continue reading →

I Don’t Think I’d Be Good at Divorce

Thankfully I have only been married one time and hopefully will only ever be married one time. However, strangely, divorced and remarried people intrigue me, especially if children are involved. I see many different couples living in different divorced situations. I know divorced couples that have no contact with one another as if the other person just vanished. I cannot imagine having the intimacy and closeness that I share with my husband and then just all of a sudden not seeing him again. Of course in these marriages, I suppose the closeness stopped well before the divorce. I then know … Continue reading →

Second Marriages: Buying a New Home Together

It’s arrogant to presume that when a person marries for a second time that they do so for anything less than the reasons a person may marry for the first time. It’s very common in this day and age for men and women in their 40s and 50s to meet, fall in love and marry. They may or may not have been married before and chances are they have children from previous relationships. There is one challenge they face in their middle age that may never have confronted their younger counterparts – where to live? Where Should We Live? A … Continue reading →