Expert Stepfamily Advice for Any Woman Whose Partner Has Kids
The October 2017 issue HERE!
Inside this month’s edition you’ll get:
→ HELP if there’s a high conflict ex in your life
→ ADVICE if you feel like you always put your stepkids’ needs above your own
→ TIPS for responding to people who say “You knew he had kids”
→ WISE WORDS for hubby if he can’t say NO to the kids’ mom
→ PRACTICAL TRICKS for making shared holidays less stressful
→ And more!
Here’s what else you’ll find inside: Continue reading “Inside the October 2017 Issue”
His High Conflict Ex: The Do’s & Don’ts of Dealing With Her By Brenda Snyder, LCSW
Having been a stepmother for almost as long as I have been a licensed clinical social worker, I feel quite qualified to unequivocally state that the mental health workers’ bible—the American Psychiatric Association’s “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” (or DSM)—is incomplete. Continue reading “His High Conflict Ex: Inside the Oct. 2017 Issue”
Take Your Ex and Shove It!: A Cautionary Tale From ‘The One’ Who Got Away By Christine G. Adamo
No. I’m not obsessing over or otherwise pining away for my ex, Mike. While he and I were never married or engaged, I was hip to being a stepmom and wrapped up in loving him—certain he was The One. Similarly to how you may have expressed it to your man, I told him he was the guy I’d waded thru years of relationship rigmarole to get to. Hmpf! Continue reading “Take Your Ex and Shove It! Inside the Oct. 2017 Issue”
Nightmare on Stepmom Street: 5 Tricks for Making Shared Holidays a Treat! By Laura S. Milam, MEd
When I decided to marry a man with a daughter and an ex-wife, I knew that the holidays would be a challenge. Besides the normal pull to divide time between the in-laws, we would have the complication of custody—splitting whole weeks or groups of days between two parents.
I expected Thanksgiving and Christmas to be crazy. But nothing prepared me for the terror of Halloween. Continue reading “5 Tips for Shared Holidays: Inside the Oct. 2017 Issue”
Stupid Things People Say to Stepmoms: Dealing With Askholes (and Other Rude Humans) By Mary T. Kelly, MA
Stepmoms aren’t the only ones who get asked questions which are nobody else’s business. Or who get advice that’d make your head spin. Ask any woman who’s been pregnant how many horror stories she’s heard about labor and delivery—from perfect strangers— which scared the crap out of her. The numbers are astronomical. Continue reading “Stupid Things People Say to Stepmoms: Inside the Oct. 2017 Issue”
By Brenda Snyder, LCSW Originally published in the July 2013 issue of StepMom Magazine.
Many stepmothers begin the commitment phase of their relationships with an engagement ring. Women who love men with children hear the statistical improbability of successful remarriage and dismiss it, knowing in their hearts that theirs is the love that will beat the odds. They excitedly embrace their new family and put every effort into making their inner reality match what is actually happening in the home they are joining. Continue reading “Disengaging Stepmoms: 5 Signs It’s Time to Step Back”
The September 2017 issue is HERE!
Inside this month’s edition:
→ What Stepmoms Need to Know About Childhood Attachment Theories
→ Strategies for Building Trust and Strengthening Your Marriage
→ 5 Truths About Becoming a “Successful” Stepmom
→ 6 Tips to Help You Bond Over Family Dinners
→ Back-to-School Life Hacks for Stepmoms
→ And more!
Here’s what else you’ll find inside: Continue reading “Inside the September 2017 Issue”
Psychology, Stepmoms and Stepchild Relations: Science Says? It’s Not Your Fault! By Brenda Snyder, LCSW
Many stepmothers share a common frustration—a thwarted desire to be close to their stepchildren. In her current experience, a stepmom might feel angry or be resentful of a horribly behaved stepchild who is perhaps disrespectful and undisciplined.
In discovering the narrative of her stepfamily, however, it becomes fairly evident that back in the beginning stages the stepmom envisioned their relationship much differently. Continue reading “Stepmoms and Stepchild Relations: Inside the September 2017 Issue”
Stepmoms, Cell Phones & The Urge to Snoop: How to Practice and Build Trust With Your Partner By Mary T. Kelly, MA
Do you trust your partner? We’re hard-wired to trust, according to a report which appeared in the August 2015 edition of “The Journal of Neuroscience.” It’s not surprising. Intimate relationships cannot exist without trust. That’s because intimacy and trust go hand in hand. I’ll even take it a step further. If you don’t have trust, you don’t have a marriage or a true partnership. Continue reading “Do You Trust Your Partner? Inside the September 2017 Issue”
The Road to Collective Co-Parenting: Waiting for Co-Parent Status Is Like Sitting Alone on the School Bus By Melissa D. Day, MS
Negotiating kids’ busy schedules can be overwhelming enough in one home. Coordinating them between multiple homes comes with additional challenges. Add in back-to- school season and things get even more complicated. As your stepfamily makes the transition to new teachers, activities and routines, co-parenting challenges may step out of the shadows and into the light.
As you know, there are likely a number of good reasons your partner and his ex are divorced. Continue reading “Collective Co-Parenting: Inside the September 2017 Issue”