ChristinaRoachLMHC, Author at StepMom Magazine

Transform Your Stepfamily: Inside the January 2018 Issue

Transform Your Stepfamily: 4 Keys to Create Lasting Success and a Life You Love! BY CHRISTINA ROACH, LMHC

Ringing in a New Year, for most, is full of resolutions and commitments to make the next 12 months better than the prior ones. Unfortunately the excitement that surrounds these aspirations quickly fades, as the realities of day-to-day life take hold and the newness wanes.

What if you applied that effort, instead, toward transforming your stepfamily culture? Continue reading “Transform Your Stepfamily: Inside the January 2018 Issue”

Stepfamily Development: In the September 2016 Issue

Navigating Your Stepfamily’s Journey: Understanding the Stages of Stepfamily Development by Christina Roach, LMHC, NCC, DCC

Picture it: You meet the guy of your dreams. The only hiccup—if you would call it that—is that he comes with a kid in tow. You tell yourself it’s no big deal.

Anyways, how hard could it be? Fast forward a few months and you quickly discover that living in step is not what you had anticipated. Heck, it may be nowhere near what you had envisioned! Continue reading “Stepfamily Development: In the September 2016 Issue”

Support for Stepdads: Inside the June 2016 Issue

Suppor for Stepdads — Inside the June 2016 Issue

FOR THE MEN!
Dearest Wife: It’s Your Stepdad Husband—Can We Talk?
by Christina Roach, LMHC, NCC, DCC

Dearest Wife,
I’m a little lost here, as to where I fit in. As the man of the house, I feel an obligation to contribute. But, regardless of what I do, I’m in the wrong.

I can’t just stand by and let your kids walk all over you. Continue reading “Support for Stepdads: Inside the June 2016 Issue”

Parenting Tips for Stepmoms – Inside the April 2016 Issue

Parenting Tips for Stepmoms: My Kids + Your Kids = Parenting Together by Christina Roach, LMHC, NCC, DCC

The 1970s TV sitcom “The Brady Bunch” presented a skewed view of stepfamily life. Despite the fact that Mike and Carol Brady each brought three children into their marriage, they never seemed to argue about how they parented each other’s kids.

Whether they were interacting with their biological children or their partner’s, everyone simply seemed to get along. And any antics that did surface were nicely resolved by the end of each episode. Continue reading “Parenting Tips for Stepmoms – Inside the April 2016 Issue”

Stepmoms and Infertility – Inside the January 2016 Issue

Stepmom Infertility — Inside the January 2016 Issue

Infertility – The Secret Pain Many Stepmoms Suffer by Christina Roach, LMHC, NCC, DCC

Being a stepmom has its share of ups and downs—as each of us know all too well. The experience can become devastating, though, when faced with infertility concerns.

Regardless of the degree to which children are desired, the inability to conceive dismantles the image of mother, father and child walking hand-in-hand. It has the crushing strength of a wrecking ball that rips through a building as it’s demolished, crumbling it relentlessly to the ground.

What’s left can feel like a barren wasteland. Empty. Dark. Hopeless. Continue reading “Stepmoms and Infertility – Inside the January 2016 Issue”

A Stepmom’s Christmas Carol – Inside the December 2015 Issue

A Stepmom’s Christmas Carol: Lessons From the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future by Christina Roach, LMHC, NCC, DCC

The holidays are one of my favorite times of the year. Decorating the house, baking Christmas cookies, sipping hot cocoa while snuggled together watching snowfall … throw in some carolers and you have the makings of a picture-prefect celebration.

Whether your style is to go over-the-top during the holidays or take a more laid-back approach, there are most likely traditions you’ve carried with you from your childhood. They’ve become part of how you define the holidays. Without them, the festivities would seem a little less merry and bright. Continue reading “A Stepmom’s Christmas Carol – Inside the December 2015 Issue”

5 Benefits of Stepfamily Life – Inside the October 2015 Issue

Happily Ever After: 5 Benefits of Stepfamily Life by Christina Roach LMHC, NCC, DCC

You know he will always be a father. His kids come first. As a stepmom, you will need to adjust to their way of doing things.

These are just some of the messages I received when I decided to marry a man with kids. I’m not going to lie. Those words of encouragement—or lack thereof—were less than I had hoped for. After such rave reviews, what mentally stable person would sign up for this gig? Me. And given that you’re reading StepMom Magazine, I’m assuming you, too.

As stepmoms, we know stepfamily life has its share of turbulence and that some of us have it rougher than others. Continue reading “5 Benefits of Stepfamily Life – Inside the October 2015 Issue”

Tired of Being a Stepmom – Inside the September 2015 Issue

Tired Stepmom — Inside the Sept. 2015 Issue

Tired of Being a Stepmom? Science Says Taking the High Road Isn’t Easy by Christina Roach, LMHC, NCC, DCC

We all know being a stepmom can be a tiresome business— with some days feeling more draining than others. Countless scenarios are primed to put us in positions where we can choose to either take the high road or succumb to exposing our uncensored thoughts.

Whether it’s par for the course of the role we’re in or not, many stepmoms are faced with predicaments in which they feel a need to wield restraint over their impulses. Maybe you’ve crafted Pollyanna-type responses to yourself about false allegations made by the ex, your stepchildren’s selective hearing or (what you perceive to be) your partner’s misguided parenting style. Continue reading “Tired of Being a Stepmom – Inside the September 2015 Issue”

Preparing Stepkids for an Ours Baby – In the July 2015 Issue

Ours Baby StepMom Magazine — Inside the July 2015 Issue

Baby Blues: Preparing Stepkids for Your “Ours” Baby’s Arrival by Christina Roach, LMHC, NCC, DCC

Preparing for the arrival of a new baby can be an exciting time for any couple. Whether you are motivated by wanting a biological child of your own or a desire to share the parenthood experience with your partner, the decision to add an “ours” baby to the stepfamily dynamic is an important one.

For some stepmoms, conceiving a child can serve as a way to authenticate the couple’s relationship, especially in the eyes of those people who they feel question its validity. On a subconscious level, it also can be a way to show others that this relationship (the stepcouple relationship) is real. It isn’t a mere substitution for their partner’s former union. Continue reading “Preparing Stepkids for an Ours Baby – In the July 2015 Issue”

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