Tag: blended family issues

Confessions of a Full-Time Stepmom – In the August 2015 Issue

Full Time Stepmom
Inside the August 2015 Issue

Confessions of a Full-Time Stepmom: 4 Truths About This 24/7 Gig by Heather Hetchler, MA

I glanced at the clock. The reflected time stopped me cold. My heart began to race. My stomach started turning. My breath grew shallow. They were all automatic responses to what was estimated to occur in less than three hours: my stepdaughters’ return from two weeks at their grandparents’ home.

Feeling terrible about my physical reaction, I texted two friends and asked them to pray for me.

As a full-time stepmom of two and a co-parenting mom of four, there are only two weeks each year in which my stepdaughters are not with us. I look forward to these two weeks. Continue reading “Confessions of a Full-Time Stepmom – In the August 2015 Issue”

Having an Ours Baby – Inside the August 2015 Issue

Ours Baby StepMom Magazine
Inside the August 2015 Issue

Sitting in the Center: An Ours Child’s Perspective on Stepfamily Life by Trisha Ladogna

Our decision to have an ours baby was not made lightly. I was 36, a childless stepmother for more than five years and had suffered a miscarriage prior to having my first biological child.

Like many first-time mothers, I did an amazing amount of preparation and reading about what was happening with my body and my baby. Like many stepmothers, I did just as much reading and preparation around the impact this little bundle of joy would have on our stepfamily—particularly my stepson.

And, like both stepmothers and mothers, I worried. Continue reading “Having an Ours Baby – Inside the August 2015 Issue”

Why Stepfamilies Are Different – Inside the August 2015 Issue

Stepfamilies Are Unique
Inside the August 2015 Issue

Embrace Your Differences: 5 Factors That Make Stepfamilies Unique by Brenda Snyder, LCSW

A family is a family is a family. Two adults. Some kids. Does it really matter so much how and when the family was formed? Or that not all of the people in that family are blood related? You look like a family. You act like a family. Love conquers all.

The same rules ought to apply, right? Rarely do women who are not stepmothers understand just how wrong these assumptions are. They try to be supportive, but they just don’t get it.

Stepfamilies are different.

And it’s time to embrace those differences. At least five factors make stepfamilies unique. Continue reading “Why Stepfamilies Are Different – Inside the August 2015 Issue”

Preparing Stepkids for an Ours Baby – In the July 2015 Issue

Ours Baby StepMom Magazine
Inside the July 2015 Issue

Baby Blues: Preparing Stepkids for Your “Ours” Baby’s Arrival by Christina Roach, LMHC, NCC, DCC

Preparing for the arrival of a new baby can be an exciting time for any couple. Whether you are motivated by wanting a biological child of your own or a desire to share the parenthood experience with your partner, the decision to add an “ours” baby to the stepfamily dynamic is an important one.

For some stepmoms, conceiving a child can serve as a way to authenticate the couple’s relationship, especially in the eyes of those people who they feel question its validity. On a subconscious level, it also can be a way to show others that this relationship (the stepcouple relationship) is real. It isn’t a mere substitution for their partner’s former union. Continue reading “Preparing Stepkids for an Ours Baby – In the July 2015 Issue”

Top 10 Stepmom Issues – Inside the June 2015 Issue

Stepmom Issues
Inside the June 2015 Issue

Can You Help a Girl Out? 10 Things Stepmoms Want Their Partners to Know by Heather Hetchler, MA

Communication breakdowns—not unlike the sudden breakdown of a car while you’re speeding along the highway—can be unnerving. In stepfamilies, they can also lead to critical breaks in the otherwise happy connection you share with your partner.

Sure, we all have days when we don’t quite get what our partners are saying.

Maybe, like auto mechanics rattling off specs, the language they use doesn’t make sense to us. Or, like that radio blaring two cars away, intrusions from the ex make it hard to concentrate on the here and now. Continue reading “Top 10 Stepmom Issues – Inside the June 2015 Issue”

Inside the May 2015 Issue of StepMom Magazine

Stepmom Magazine May 2015
The May 2015 Issue

The May 2015 issue of StepMom Magazine is HERE!

The tips and advice in this month’s issue are designed to
help make your job a little easier.

While we don’t specifically address Mother’s Day in any of the articles, remember that—regardless of your maternal status and any recognition you may or may not receive on May 10—what you do is important.

Stepfamily experts agree that a stepmom’s job is the hardest job position within any family!

And, if stepmoms got paid what they’re worth? We’d all be millionaires.

Here’s what you’ll find inside when you subscribe: Continue reading “Inside the May 2015 Issue of StepMom Magazine”

A Mixed Blessing for Stepfamilies? There’s S’more to Learn from Honey Maid’s New “This is Wholesome” Ad Campaign

Stepfamily Information and Support
Brenda Ockun
Publisher of StepMom Magazine

In 1973, a postage stamp cost 8 cents, “The Brady Bunch” was in its fourth year of production and I was in kindergarten.

My teacher, Ms. Rahn, was a tall, thin woman with overly teased, brassy blond hair. We kids walked to school—where we read “Dick and Jane” books, ate cookies and drank whole milk before taking 20-minute naps. We sat cross-legged, in circles, on the floor while learning the virtues of sharing and waiting your turn. And nearly everyone’s parents were still married, as far as we knew. Continue reading “A Mixed Blessing for Stepfamilies? There’s S’more to Learn from Honey Maid’s New “This is Wholesome” Ad Campaign”

5 Big Fat Lies About Being A Stepmom

The rules for stepmoms are often unclear and contradictory. Here are 5 things we tell stepmothers (and why you shouldn’t believe any of them!)

Stepmoms: Tell us what you think about these big fat lies! Do you have any to add to the list? Are there any stepmom misconceptions or stereotypes that really irritate you? Continue reading “5 Big Fat Lies About Being A Stepmom”

How NOT to Become a Stepfamily Statistic

Stepfamily break-up rates are significantly higher than first marriage divorce rates. Learn the three things all stepcouples can do to stack the odds in their favor.

Stepmoms: Leave a comment below and tell us: What do you and your partner do to strengthen your relationship and overcome the challenges inherent to stepfamily life? Continue reading “How NOT to Become a Stepfamily Statistic”