Secrets of Stepmom Peak Performance: Mastering Stepfamily Life’s 6 Big Challenges by Iishana Artra, PhD
In my opinion, stepping is an X-sport. Think base jumping or shark surfing. We qualify for this elite distinction because we face unusual challenges while navigating a high number of inherently uncontrollable variables. Given that, who can deny that fast and accurate cognitive and perceptual processing is required to avoid serious injury?
A stepdaughter ignores our hello. Our partner ceases to parent.
Stamina and skill are key! Unlike jumping out of planes, the major risks we face are to our psychological health, social connections, finances and careers. As with all X-sports, though, only a relative handful of stepparents (roughly 1-in-3) stay in the game. What makes the difference for those who land on their feet is mastery of stepfamily life’s six biggest challenges.
But who has time to scan dozens of books and websites for help? We live in a world of ever-increasing complexity and busyness. Our brains are even more overwhelmed than average parents’ brains—making sense of unfamiliar, unpredictable and undesirable situations with limited authority while managing other areas of life. Yet, you can operate at peak performance. …To read the rest of this article, log in to your account and download the November 2016 issue. Don’t have an account? Click here to subscribe.