Author: ClaudetteChenevert

Stepmom Gifts – Inside the December 2015 Issue

stepmom gifts
Inside the December 2015 Issue

The Best Gifts You Can Give A Stepmom: Advice for Friends and Family by Claudette Chenevert

The holiday season is a time when we often feel more giving, generous and helpful toward others. We’re in the mood to share of ourselves and our thoughts, but sometimes the gifts we give and receive may not be what a person wants—or needs—most.

If there’s a stepmom on your holiday shopping list, this article is for you. It presents several ways you and others can give her the best gifts of all because if there is one area of life in which we all get bombarded with advice, it’s parenting. Continue reading “Stepmom Gifts – Inside the December 2015 Issue”

Stepfamily Dinners – Inside the November 2015 Issue

stepfamily dinners
Inside the November 2015 Issue

Stepfamily Dinners: Games, Strategies and Apps for Great Conversation by Claudette Chenevert

Whenever I think of family dinners, the image of Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom From Want” (which appeared on a 1943 cover of “The Saturday Evening Post” and depicts an animated gathering around a perfectly cooked turkey) I wonder, how can my family look like that?

Is it even possible?

In that painting, Rockwell captured a moment in time—not a lifetime filled with attempts to come together and sit for a meal as a family. Continue reading “Stepfamily Dinners – Inside the November 2015 Issue”

Stepmoms and Outsider Syndrome – In the October 2015 Issue

Stepmoms Outsider Syndrome
Inside the October 2015 Issue

Stepmoms and Outsider Syndrome: 7 Ways to Ease the Pain of Feeling Left Out by Claudette Chenevert

Your partner is sitting on the floor, playing with his kids. It’s been a few weeks since they were last together and they seem to be having a good time catching up. Here you are, looking at them, when an empty feeling creeps up inside you.

You try as hard as you can, hoping you’re making all the right moves. You sacrifice your time and space to make sure your partner’s kids feel at home, as if they belong. All the while, you are battling your own demons about what your place is in this relationship. Continue reading “Stepmoms and Outsider Syndrome – In the October 2015 Issue”

Every Other Weekend Dads – Inside the June 2015 Issue

Every Other Weekend StepMom Magazine
Inside the June 2015 Issue

Every Other Weekend: How Divorced Dads Can Connect With Their Kids—All Week Long! by Claudette Chenevert

Your husband just said goodbye to his kids for the hundredth time this year. Somehow, it doesn’t seem to get any better for him. He’s an amazing dad, but something seems to pull at his heartstrings whenever he hugs his kids goodbye.

As a stepmom, you feel the struggles and challenges related to raising someone else’s children. It’s not easy—and it’s definitely complicated. You probably also view your partner as being very good at parenting. Yet, although he puts on a strong face, he is saddened every time the kids go back to their mom’s. Continue reading “Every Other Weekend Dads – Inside the June 2015 Issue”