stepchildren problems Archives - Page 4 of 5

Understanding Your Stepkids – Inside the January 2016 Issue

Tips for Understanding Your Stepkids – Start the New Year off Right! by Claudette Chenevert

Being in a stepfamily is no walk in the park for any of us. There are times when things are great and everyone is getting along— even having fun together. Then there are other times when being in a stepfamily is a nightmare. As stepmoms, we know this only too well, but it’s also true from the children’s perspectives.

While living through the separation and eventual divorce of their parents, our stepkids experienced a lot of insecurity. Where would they live? Who would they live with? And for how long? At the time, they were (and probably remain) understandably scared, unsure, angry and distraught at losing control over nearly every aspect of their lives. Continue reading “Understanding Your Stepkids – Inside the January 2016 Issue”

Stepmom Resentment – Inside the January 2016 Issue

Stepmoms and Resentment: What It Means and Why You’re Not Alone by Wednesday Martin, PhD

In the course of researching my book, “Stepmonster: A New Look at Why Real Stepmothers Think, Feel, and Act the Way We Do,” I was reminded time and again that there are a handful of emotions that are just too taboo for those of us married to men with kids to admit having.

Often an interview with one of my subjects would have to go on for 30 or 45 minutes before the woman speaking with me felt she could express feelings she feared I might judge her for having. More than once, I had to pave the way to disclosure by going first: “There were days I was so angry at my husband and his daughter for shutting me out that I wanted to leave.” Continue reading “Stepmom Resentment – Inside the January 2016 Issue”

Your Stepchild’s Perspective – Inside the January 2016 Issue

A Stepchild’s Perspective on Forging Relationships – Understanding What Works and What Doesn’t by Trisha Ladogna

In February 2015, Todd M. Jensen, MSW, LCSWA, and Matthew O. Howard, PhD, MSW (both representing University of North Carolina’s School of Social Work), completed a systemic review of stepchildren’s views about what makes for a positive stepparent-stepchild relationship.

They said it wasn’t an easy task, as the majority of stepfamily literature over the past decade had focused on only adults’ opinions of stepfamily life. Jensen and Howard, along with the rest of us I’m sure, found this “odd and unfortunate because stepfamilies, by definition, wouldn’t exist without the presence of children.” Continue reading “Your Stepchild’s Perspective – Inside the January 2016 Issue”

Stepfamily Dinners – Inside the November 2015 Issue

Stepfamily Dinners: Games, Strategies and Apps for Great Conversation by Claudette Chenevert

Whenever I think of family dinners, the image of Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom From Want” (which appeared on a 1943 cover of “The Saturday Evening Post” and depicts an animated gathering around a perfectly cooked turkey) I wonder, how can my family look like that?

Is it even possible?

In that painting, Rockwell captured a moment in time—not a lifetime filled with attempts to come together and sit for a meal as a family. Continue reading “Stepfamily Dinners – Inside the November 2015 Issue”

Inside the September 2015 Issue of StepMom Magazine

StepMom Magazine September 2015 — The September 2015 Issue

The September 2015 issue of StepMom Magazine is here!

Becoming a stepmom is like taking a crash course in subjects women never dream of studying: “How to Deal With an Angry Ex” and “Child Support 101” aren’t offered, as requirements or electives, in high school or university course catalogues. And yet? Millions of women find themselves tested every single day.

It’s like a taking a pop quiz you never studied for. Your patience is tested. Your ability to withstand character attacks is tested. Your stamina, your self-confidence, your relationship with your partner … they’re all repeatedly tested, too.

The good news is? You can ace these tests! We’re here to guide you through it. Every step of the way! Here’s what you’ll find inside when you subscribe: Continue reading “Inside the September 2015 Issue of StepMom Magazine”

Adult Stepchildren – Inside the September 2015 Issue

All Grown Up: When Life Hands You Adult Stepkids
by Brenda Snyder, LCSW

It is a well-known fact that people are living longer and that the aging and elderly population is a growing one. This affects many aspects of society, including the growing number of stepfamilies that form later in life and are, thus, comprised of older adults with adult stepchildren.

Stepfamily literature and research tends to focus on families with young or school-age children, where everyday parenting tasks are the norm. Even informal conversations about impending marriages dismiss the unique challenges of taking on adult stepchildren, with everyone expressing gratitude that the “problems” wrought by younger stepchildren have been avoided. Continue reading “Adult Stepchildren – Inside the September 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”

Teenage Stepkids – Inside the July 2015 Issue

Their Teenage Years: Understanding Why Your Stepkids Act That Way by Brenda Snyder, LCSW

Teenagers are not only a challenge for stepmothers.

It seems as though they were invented so that any adult who raises them will want to turn their bedrooms into sewing rooms instead of shrines when they finally leave the nest. After all, if sending kids off to college was as hard as sending them off to preschool, we might never let them leave home for good.

Biological parents bemoan the unpredictable and sometimes monstrous behavior that overtakes their previously darling offspring. Eye rolls, sarcasm and slammed doors seem to be part of the expected family paradigm when teens are present. Sometimes, even worse behaviors Continue reading “Teenage Stepkids – Inside the July 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”

Inside the April 2015 Issue of StepMom Magazine

The April 2015 issue of StepMom Magazine is HERE!

This month offers you lots of great advice on some pretty touchy topics—and a few taboo ones! Sometimes we really do have to learn to live with things: stepchildren we don’t like, exes who interfere in our relationships and changes that are beyond our control (yet affect our daily lives).

But a stepmom’s happiness and well-being are just as important as anyone else’s are. This month, our writers help you under- stand what you can do to work through the inevitable without sacrificing either one.

So, don’t settle by simply “learning to live with things” that don’t feel right. Read on and learn to thrive! Here’s what you’ll find inside when you subscribe: Continue reading “Inside the April 2015 Issue of StepMom Magazine”

Login

Reset Password