stepchildren problems Archives - Page 3 of 5

Stepmom Conflict by Proxy: Inside 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”

Summer Visitation: Inside the July 2016 Issue

Stepmoms, Stepkids and Summertime: How to Keep Your Cool When Things Heat Up by Mary T. Kelly, MA

Mark Twain once famously said, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” If you’ve ever been to the Bay Area, you’ll know exactly what he meant. As a stepmom, you may also find a correlation.

It’s the heat of summer now, yet you may be nursing a cold, cold heart. Continue reading “Summer Visitation: Inside the July 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”

Stepmoms and Mother’s Day – Inside the May 2016 Issue

Stepmoms and Mother’s Day: 7 Reasons Stepkids Snub Us on the Mother of All Holidays by Trisha Ladogna, GDP

One of the most difficult aspects of Mother’s Day, for a stepmother, can be trying to understand why our stepchildren (particularly those we have good relationships with) don’t recognize us on Mother’s Day.

Being ignored by your stepchildren on Mother’s Day—well, it just sucks, especially if you Continue reading “Stepmoms and Mother’s Day – Inside the May 2016 Issue”

Stepmom Stepdaughter Communication – Inside the May 2016 Issue

Stepmoms and Stepdaughters Connecting: Use Conversation to Bridge the Gap Between You by Claudette Chenevert

We read stories about the challenges between stepmoms and their stepdaugthers on social media, in private forums, in magazines and in books. Why is that? And we’re not just talking about their teenage years, although those often are the most challenging. I’m also talking about our ability—or inability—to have meaningful conversations with our adult stepdaughters.

There are times when, no matter how much you try, it feels as if you and she are speaking two different languages. Continue reading “Stepmom Stepdaughter Communication – Inside the May 2016 Issue”

Parenting Tips for Stepmoms – Inside the April 2016 Issue

Parenting Tips for Stepmoms: My Kids + Your Kids = Parenting Together by Christina Roach, LMHC, NCC, DCC

The 1970s TV sitcom “The Brady Bunch” presented a skewed view of stepfamily life. Despite the fact that Mike and Carol Brady each brought three children into their marriage, they never seemed to argue about how they parented each other’s kids.

Whether they were interacting with their biological children or their partner’s, everyone simply seemed to get along. And any antics that did surface were nicely resolved by the end of each episode. Continue reading “Parenting Tips for Stepmoms – Inside the April 2016 Issue”

Expecting Stepmoms – Inside the April 2016 Issue

Expecting Stepmoms: What You Need to Know About Babies and “Blending” by Wednesday Martin, PhD

The woman’s tone was urgent, almost anxious. She had called into a radio show I was doing to promote my book, “Stepmonster,” and I wished I had longer to talk to her about having what the experts call “a mutual child.” For the women I interviewed while writing my book, the issue of whether to have one (or more) kids together or not was often a deal-breaker.

“I decided I wasn’t going to marry Jack and take on his two girls—cute and lovable as they are— without us having a child together, too,” a woman I’ll call Laura told me, explaining, “What can I say, it just felt like having a baby of our own would sort of even things out.” Continue reading “Expecting Stepmoms – Inside the April 2016 Issue”

Stepfamily Life – Inside the March 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”

Stepmom-Stepchild Relationships – Inside the March 2016 Issue

Stepmom Jealousy — Inside the March 2016 Issue

How Jealousy Affects Stepmom-Stepchild Relationships: It’s Not Easy Being Green, by Wednesday Martin, Phd

It has been said over and over: Children, even grown ones, feel threatened, displaced, hurt and scared when dad remarries. Less often do we hear how the stepmother experiences this reality: Hurt and threatened stepchildren are also frequently angry and jealous—and they want us gone.

A stepmother’s “vengefulness and jealousy” toward her husband’s powerless children may be something other than what it seems. Often, it is a fantasy and a projection, one that allows stepchildren of all ages to disavow a deeper, more disturbing truth. Continue reading “Stepmom-Stepchild Relationships – Inside the March 2016 Issue”

Teenage Stepchildren – Inside the January 2016 Issue

Stepfamily Growing Pains – Tips on Handling Teens Who Don’t (or Won’t!) Come Around Anymore by Mary T. Kelly, MA

Have you and your partner heard these words from a defiant teenager who no longer wants to go back and forth between two homes and only wants to live with his mom? “I don’t want to live here anymore!” If so, the two of you are not alone.

Let’s be honest here. If you have stepkids who are difficult teenagers, for you this may be a blessing in disguise. But for your partner—their father—it’s devastating. It’s tough enough for your partner to only have custody of his kids part-time. Finding out he has a kid who has no desire to live with him is like a punch in the gut. Continue reading “Teenage Stepchildren – Inside the January 2016 Issue”

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