Expert Stepfamily Advice for Any Woman Whose Partner Has Kids
False Accusations: A Stepcouple Relationship Faces the Ultimate Test by Mary T. Kelly, MA
I want to tell you the story of a couple I recently worked with. They’ve given me permission to share what they went through in the hopes that it may help you and others. It’s a story to which unfortunately many of you may relate. Continue reading “False Accusations: In the September 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”
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”
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”
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”
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”
New Stepfamily Insights: Our Special Interview With Patricia L. Papernow, PhD by Claudette Chenevert
There are several questions stepmoms have asked me over the years. They include:
◃ “Why won’t my stepkids listen to me?”
◃ “Will I ever feel included in this family?”
◃ “What can I do differently to create a happy family?”
It seems that, as stepmoms, we have this dream of coming together and being one, big, happy family. I recently had the privilege of talking with Patricia L. Papernow, PhD, about her latest book “Surviving and Thriving in Stepfamily Relationships: What Works and What Doesn’t.” Continue reading “Stepfamily Insights With Patricia L. Papernow, PhD – Inside the April 2016 Issue”
Taking the Stepfamily Plunge: Add Value to Stepfamily Life by Being Vulnerable by Mary T. Kelly, MA
You met a great guy—the kind of guy you’d been waiting for. He had so many of the qualities you wanted that you couldn’t believe your good fortune in finding him. Sure, he had kids. But he was worth the extra effort. You had no idea (nor could you possibly have imagined) that partnering with this wonderful guy would take you down a road of vulnerability like no other.
And, at some point, you were not only sharing your life with your new partner. You also started sharing it with his children. Continue reading “Stepfamily Life – Inside the March 2016 Issue”
Successful Stepcouple Strategies: The Why and What of Putting Your Marriage First by Heather Hetchler, MA
Two people fall in love and decide to marry or partner for life. They make the decision together and enter the union with love, hope and a commitment to stick with it for better or worse.
Unlike a first-time marriage, children often come with the vows made in a remarriage. Those children, regardless of age, are part of the newly created family. But they do not make the choice to form a new family. Nor are they the reason for it. The reason for the remarriage is the love and commitment shared by the two people saying, “I do.” Continue reading “Stepcouple Strategies – Inside the March 2016 Issue”
On Thurs., Jan. 21, 2016, StepMom Magazine Founder and Publisher Brenda Ockun was on TV, representing stepmoms worldwide, as a special guest of the “Steve Harvey” daytime TV talk show.
Brenda was asked to appear on Steve’s first-ever, televised Stepmom Summit, as the resident subject-matter expert. On that panel were two celebrity stepmoms—Steve’s wife, Marjorie, and Tameka “Tiny” Harris, a former member of the R&B group Xscape and wife of rapper T.I. Continue reading “Stepmom Summit – Videos from The Steve Harvey Show”