Category: Sample Articles

Tips for Divorced Dads: Inside the June 2018 Issue

Tips for Divorced DadsDIFFERENCES IN PERSPECTIVE: 6 TIPS FOR THE MEN FROM A DAD’S POINT OF VIEW BY ANDY HETCHLER

Perspective is both a challenge and an opportunity. Perspective takes your past and shapes you in the present. It is often not the details of a situation which cause a stepcouple conflict but, rather, a difference in perspectives.

Two people stand, facing each other, from opposite corners of a room. One person, Jim, holds up an opened book with the pages facing him. Mary is standing across the room from him. A third person, Barb, enters the room and asks: “What does the book say?” Continue reading “Tips for Divorced Dads: Inside the June 2018 Issue”

Tips for Remarried Men: Inside the June 2018 Issue

Tips for Remarried MenDEAR PRINCE CHARMING: 6 THINGS YOUR STEPMOM WIFE NEEDS YOU TO DO BY BRENDA SNYDER, LCSW

Women who fall in love with men who have children are a special breed. We are highly capable, successful, loving women who are good problem solvers and organizers. We are independent partners who make great choices and have skills around identifying our needs and getting them met. We are difficult to intimidate and never saw a challenge we couldn’t conquer. Continue reading “Tips for Remarried Men: Inside the June 2018 Issue”

Tips for Remarried Couples: Inside the June 2018 Issue

Tips for Remarried CouplesHE SAID, SHE SAID: HOW TO GET YOUR POINT ACROSS WITHOUT ARGUING BY MARY T KELLY, MA

Both stepfamily couples and first family couples come to my office with the hopes of being heard. Each partner gives me their own side of the story and then looks at me expectantly, as if I’m a referee who’s going to give a decision in one of their favors.

She says: “I’ve told him—over and over again—what needs to change. Nothing happens.” Continue reading “Tips for Remarried Couples: Inside the June 2018 Issue”

What Divorced Dads Want: Inside the June 2018 Issue

Divorced DadsWHAT DIVORCED DADS WANT: 5 WAYS TO HELP HIM BE A GREAT PARENT BY KELLY PALMQUIST, MSW

Being a stepmom is hard work. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it! On top of that, we strive to find success and balance in careers, in family life and in our friendships. With all of that responsibility, we may lose sight of one of our most important roles—that of supporting and validating our partners. Continue reading “What Divorced Dads Want: Inside the June 2018 Issue”

Inside the May 2018 Issue

Stepmom May 2018The May 2018 issue is HERE!

This month we’re talking about:
→ Mother’s Day
→ Stepmother’s Day (Yes, it exists!)
→ Feeling like an outsider
→ Dealing with infertility
→ Special needs stepkids
→ Making your relationship a priority
→ Full-time stepmoms
→ Advice for childless & childfree stepmoms
→ And much more!

Here’s the full list of what’s inside this month: Continue reading “Inside the May 2018 Issue”

Childless & Childfree Stepmoms: Inside the May 2018 Issue

Childless Childfree StepmomsChildless? Childfree?
What You Need to Know About Stepkids, Cotton Candy and Pink Elephants
BY MARY T. KELLY, MA

SPOILER ALERT: Being a childless or childfree stepmom, in a relationship with someone who has kids, will probably be one of the hardest things you’ll ever do.

I’m not kidding, but there’s a yang to that yin: Being a childless or childfree stepmom, in a relationship with someone who has kids, will be one of the greatest opportunities you’ll ever have to grow as a human being. Continue reading “Childless & Childfree Stepmoms: Inside the May 2018 Issue”

Mother’s Day Dread: Inside the May 2018 Issue

Is Mother’s Day Dread Setting In?
10 Ways to Celebrate—Stepmom Style
BY JESSICA LEON, PHD, LCSW

Mother’s Day can be weird for us stepmoms. In addition to our stepkids, we may have children of our own. In addition to us, those kids may have yet another mom and/or stepmom. Our partners may not know how to navigate these issues. We, ourselves, may want or need to spend time honoring people such as our mothers, grandmas, aunts, sisters, friends and mothers-in-law. Continue reading “Mother’s Day Dread: Inside the May 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”

Transform Your Stepfamily: Inside the May 2018 Issue

stepmom mastery moves10 Mastery Moves for Stepmoms
Lead Your Stepfamily to Transformation
BY IISHANA ARTRA, PHD

Do you ever just want to know what to do right now, preserving yourself and your stepfamily without having to reinvent the wheel or get crushed under it, in the process? It’s easy to imagine that the reported millions of stepmoms who quit their stepfamilies each year wish they had that knowledge sooner. My heart aches for them. Continue reading “Transform Your Stepfamily: Inside the May 2018 Issue”

Full-Time Stepmoms: Inside the April 2018 Issue

Full Time StepmomsFull-Time Stepmoms
Strategies for Stepping Up Without Getting Your Heart Stomped on
BY BRENDA SNYDER, LCSW

The stepmom gig is changing. For many stepfamilies, gone are the days when his (or her) kids showed up as every-other-weekend visitors; when they sucked up your household’s attention, energy and resources for a few days at a time—during which everything seemed to screech to a halt, shift and evolve to suit the disruption. Continue reading “Full-Time Stepmoms: Inside the April 2018 Issue”