Tag Archives: stepfamily

Can You Survive? Stepfamily Holiday Stress

I don’t really care for the term stepfamily. I prefer blended family, even though I’m not usually given to politically correct terminology. The point is that stepfamilies or blended families can encounter some unique challenges, especially during the holidays. Time can be at a premium, especially when not only ex-spouses, but also ex-in laws, as well as your own family members hope to spend more time with your children. This can often lead to stressful and uncomfortable situations. It may also lead to resentment for your spouse. It is important to make sure that you try to keep everyone’s feelings … Continue reading →

A Dirty Little Stepparenting Secret

When women date men with children from a previous marriage, we often romanticize the future. We will get married, have a beautiful family of loving, adoring, adorable children who call us “Mom” and are thankful for all we do but leave often enough (or visit rarely enough) to enjoy romantic weekends away with our new husbands. This is pretty much opposite of reality for most blended families. The bonding and relationships with our new stepchildren is one of the biggest areas new stepmoms find themselves taken aback. Very seldom do stepchildren latch onto new stepparents, particularly stepmothers, with loving adoration. … Continue reading →

Getting Married….With Children

Several years ago I fell in love and was proposed to. I eagerly said yes and the wedding planning began! What is different, but not uncommon, about our union is that we both had children from previous relationships. We were not just coming together as husband and wife but also as Mother and Father. Because blending is hard enough work as it is, it was important to us to include the children in our wedding plans. This was my first marriage so it was important that it be treated as such. But even if it was my 101st marriage, every … Continue reading →

Blending Families – Past & Present

I’ve noticed over the years that when it comes to divorces and blending families, there is no topic so passionately discussed as the issues surrounding step-parenthood. As a step-mother, I feel particularly passionate about this topic. Our new generation of blended families brings something unique to the table that past generations failed to provide – depth of personal experience. Our generation of step-parents was quite frequently the adult byproducts of blended families themselves. Often times we can vividly remember how it felt to establish a relationship with this pseudo-parent as a small child – good, bad or ugly. This depth … Continue reading →