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Blended Families

Remarrying when there are children involved is complicated. There are so many things to take into consideration. It can be a time of great happiness, but it can also be a time of chaos and misunderstanding. Communication is key. Discuss things with your new spouse and the children before the marriage has taken place. It is important that everybody is on the same page. Lots of changes are happening all at once and the more you communicate with your children the easier that transition will be for them. It gives them a chance to prepare themselves for the changes that … Continue reading →

Sharing in a Blended Family

If you are living in a blended family, you know that sharing is a huge part of almost every aspect of your lives. It would be nice if sharing came naturally for humans, but unfortunately this isn’t always the case. Whether it is the step-mother sharing her husband with his kids, the step-kids sharing dad with a new woman (or mom with a new man), or its just as simple as sharing toys, food, books and clothes, there just seems to be an enormous burden put on the blended family in which everyone must share. When it is a person … Continue reading →

Step-Families: Tips for Blending

Blending a family is, hands down, the most difficult part of re-marriage. Even if one spouse has children, the blending is usually difficult, sometimes painful, and occasionally impossible. Add kids from both sides and difficult ex-spouses and you’ve got your hands full! Here are a few tips for better step-family blending: Family meetings: hold a weekly family meeting when all the kids and adults can be present. Family meetings give kids an opportunity to air their feelings, focus on their accomplishments and feel like a family unit instead of just visitors. For more on family meetings, read this article. Family … Continue reading →

Navigating Your New Role as a Step-Parent

Managing the dynamics of a blended family can be rather challenging. This is new territory for everyone involved. For the first little while everyone may feel as if they are on an emotional rollercoaster. Some days may work out better than others; the important thing is that you keep at it and communicate often with your partner throughout the process. In the meantime, here are some important things to remember as you are embarking on this new journey as a step-parent. In the beginning it is best to let the child’s biological parent be the primary parent in charge of … Continue reading →

Blending Made Easy

Ok, let’s face it, blending two families is never easy. There’s a reason second marriages fail more often than firsts. Adjusting to the new dynamics is hard on everyone, children and parents alike. There are so many different facets that have to be worked out. When should you discipline your partner’s children? What will they call you? What is expected of them? What is expected of you? It is important to discuss all of these issues with your partner and also as a family to alleviate some of the confusion that naturally comes with combining what once was two separate … Continue reading →

When Two Become One

I grew up in a blended family. Maybe that is why I’m a little leery about ever having another one. My mom was a single mother for several years. She had three children and remarried a man who had three children of his own, who happened to be the same ages. Some of us were happy about the marriage, some of us weren’t at the time, and others just didn’t have a clue what was going on. Those first couple of years were pure chaos. All four of us girls had to share a room, while the two boys shared … Continue reading →

Children’ s Behavior Threatening a Marriage

‘Is your child’s behavior threatening to destroy your marriage?’ That was the question asked on the forum recently. Can a child’s behavior affect a marriage? Yes it certainly can. Often this is the case in blended families, where a child will be negative or outwardly antagonistic or hostile towards the stepparent and try and do all they can to interfere in the marriage relationship. But this is certainly not the only case it can occur. Children have the ability to work our very early on which one of the parents is easier to con or get around. As a result … Continue reading →