Tag: stepson issues

Teaching Stepchildren Gratitude: Inside the November 2018 Issue

teaching our stepchildrenThank You for Your Service!
Teaching Our Stepchildren Gratitude
BY KELLY PALMQUIST, MSW

Every stepmom is of service to her stepfamily. It shows through in the many tasks you take on, how gracefully you navigate awkward stepmom moments and your many selfless sacrifices.

Today, however, I’d like to give a special nod to a different type of service. On November 11, those of us in the U.S. celebrate Veterans Day. Canadians also celebrate their own version, Remembrance Day, on November 11. Continue reading “Teaching Stepchildren Gratitude: Inside the November 2018 Issue”

Your Special Needs Stepchild: Inside the May 2018 Issue

Special Needs StepchildYour Special Needs Stepchild
Advice From Stepmoms in the Trenches
BY CLAUDETTE CHENEVERT

I don’t think I need to tell you that being a stepmom can be challenging, complicated, difficult, rewarding and fun. Maybe not all at the same time but, at some point point, those qualifiers usually come into play when you’re a stepmom. If you’re a stepmom to a special needs stepchild, that may require extra tools which some of us (myself included) may not have considered—until now. Continue reading “Your Special Needs Stepchild: Inside the May 2018 Issue”

Parentified Stepchildren: Inside the November 2016 Issue

Parentified StepchildrenThe Parentified Child: When Stepkids Are Forced to Grow Up Too Fast
by Brenda Snyder, LCSW

When an intact family system reorganizes by death or divorce, every family member makes adjustments to the new structure. Unfortunately for the children, the adults are often so steeped in their own emotional pain that they are oblivious— through no real fault of their own—to the unhealthy accommodations their kids wind up making. While this is certainly not optimal for the adults, it can be devastating to the emotional health of their children.

It can be quite common, in one-parent families, for a child to hear that he or she is now the man or woman of the house. Continue reading “Parentified Stepchildren: Inside the November 2016 Issue”