Tag: blended family issues

Stepmom Problems: Inside the October 2016 Issue

Stepmom ProblemsThe Angry Stepmom: A Guide to Letting Go and Living Well by Brenda Snyder, LCSW

I have grown to realize that the old adage “It takes one to know one!” wholly applies to us stepmoms. No matter how supportive my family and friends have been throughout the years, it is only sister stepmoms who really get it: feelings of invisibility, red-faced awkwardness at family gatherings and concealed hurt when our stepchildren treat us with hostility or apathy. Continue reading “Stepmom Problems: Inside the October 2016 Issue”

Stepfamily Development: In the September 2016 Issue

Stepfamily DevelopmentNavigating 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”

Custodial Stepmoms: Inside the August 2016 Issue

Custodial Stepmoms
Inside the August 2016 Issue

Custodial Stepmoms: Ease the Stress of 24/7 Stepparenting by Mary T. Kelly, MA

Overheard at my local coffee shop: “I’m telling you, Amanda, this parenting stuff is for the birds. My kids are so ungrateful. I do and do for them and they just seem to expect it. I need a very long vacation.”

Amanda’s retort: “Tell me about it!” Continue reading “Custodial Stepmoms: Inside the August 2016 Issue”

Stepmom Help: Inside the August 2016 Issue

Stepmom Help
Inside the August 2016 Issue

Sticks and Stones: A Stepmother’s Guide to Being Disliked by Wednesday Martin, PhD

No matter what I did, they didn’t like me. His kids didn’t like me. And his ex hated me. I turned myself inside out trying to please the kids. They still hated every cookie I baked, every meal I cooked. Some days it felt like they hated me for breathing. Meanwhile, I bent over backwards to show his ex I was a good and kind person she could trust with her children. Continue reading “Stepmom Help: Inside the August 2016 Issue”

Stepfamily Events: Inside the July 2016 Issue

Stepfamily Events
The July 2016 Issue

Step Aside, Stepmom: Sharing the Spotlight With Their Mom by Claudette Chenevert

During the cycle of life, we encounter many major milestones that transform our families. They force us to interact with people we may not be excited to stand alongside, including mom. Stepmoms sometimes dread the most significant milestone moments, in which the occasion is inevitably shared with their stepkids’ biological moms: graduations, weddings and babies. Continue reading “Stepfamily Events: Inside the July 2016 Issue”

Stepmom Grief: Inside the July 2016 Issue

Stepmom Grief
The July 2016 Issue

Grieving Stepmoms: Recognizing and Reconciling What You’ve Given Up by Brenda Snyder, LCSW

Lots of stepmoms show up in my counseling office because their family doctor prescribed an antidepressant and recommended therapy. Admittedly showing signs of depression (i.e., irritability, sadness, changes in appetite, difficulty sleeping, fatigue), these women readily agree with their doctors that something is not right. What both doctor and stepmom fail to consider, however, is that the symptoms of depression are stunningly similar to signs of bereavement. Continue reading “Stepmom Grief: Inside the July 2016 Issue”

Stepmom Conflict by Proxy: Inside the July 2016 Issue

Stepmom Conflict by Proxy
The July 2016 Issue

Stepmom Conflict by Proxy: What Every Woman With Stepkids Needs to Know by Wednesday Martin, PhD

If you have stepchildren of any age in your life, you—I would wager—have arguing and even fighting (by which I mean arguments that go ballistic—with criticism, contempt and stonewalling ruling the interaction) in your life. Perhaps, at certain points, particularly the first five to seven years of your remarriage or repartnership with children, lots of arguments and fights: Continue reading “Stepmom Conflict by Proxy: Inside the July 2016 Issue”

The Stepmom Step Back: Inside the June 2016 Issue

Stepmom Step Back
Inside the June 2016 Issue

Stepmoms Who Disengage: How to Step Back Without Stepping on Toes by Brenda Snyder, LCSW

So, here you find yourself: You—a bright and articulate woman—have suddenly realized that whatever it is you’ve been doing to make this stepmom gig work hasn’t worked at all. In response, you examined your loving heart and reassessed your intentions to be sure they were pure.

Still, you’re met with hostility or, somehow even worse, apathy. Continue reading “The Stepmom Step Back: Inside the June 2016 Issue”

Peacemaking Divorced Dads: Inside the June 2016 Issue

Divorced Dads
Inside the June 2016 Issue

FOR THE MEN!
Peacemaking Divorced Dads: How Avoiding Conflict Can Start a War by Mary T. Kelly, MA

There are common phrases you, as a man, may use when you want to avoid conflict. Doing so, you often wind up kidding yourself and your partner by thinking that it isn’t because you’re avoiding conflict. It’s because you’re a peace-loving guy!

A peacemaker. Yet—after working with thousands of men who are repartnered fathers—my experience shows that, Continue reading “Peacemaking Divorced Dads: Inside the June 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”