Tag: stepmom advice

Taming the Mommy Tiger – Inside the May 2016 Issue

Mommy Tigers
Inside the May 2016 Issue

Taming the Mommy Tiger: Why Letting Your Stepkids Call You “Mom” Fuels His Ex’s Resentment (And What You Can Do About It!) by Wednesday Martin, PhD

One of the most common questions I hear from women who marry or partner with men who have kids is, “What should they call me?”

While there’s no one right answer, I do concur with the overwhelming majority of experts and women in the trenches who know from first-hand experience that there is, in a broad sense, a wrong one (to which there are rare exceptions): Mom. Or Mommy. Or Mother. You get the idea. Continue reading “Taming the Mommy Tiger – Inside the May 2016 Issue”

Stepmom Stepdaughter Communication – 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”

Stepmoms and Ex-Wives – Inside the May 2016 Issue

Stepmoms and Ex-wives
Inside the May 2016 Issue

Stepmoms and Ex-Wives: 5 Relationship Paradigms: Which Do You Choose? by Brenda Snyder, LCSW

Few relationships a stepmom navigates are as tricky as the one she has with her partner’s ex. There are many obvious reasons for this complexity. (Perhaps, most notably, you’ve both seen the same man naked.) You may wonder what constitutes normal when it comes to your relationship with your stepchildren’s mother, as this particular pairing usually feels anything but. Continue reading “Stepmoms and Ex-Wives – Inside the May 2016 Issue”

Inside the April 2016 Issue of StepMom Magazine

StepMom Magazine April 2016
The April 2016 Issue

The April 2016 issue of StepMom Magazine is HERE!

We know you’re going to love this month’s edition! The articles are designed to help you tackle the specific challenges that come with loving someone who has kids. This month you’ll learn:

* how to deal with a high-conflict ex
* 4 secret power moves to help you become a happier stepmom
* what to expect if you’re expecting
* tips for parenting his kids and yours (together!)
* the differences between custody and residency
* how to accept the universal truths about stepfamily life
…AND MUCH MORE!

Here’s what’s inside if you subscribe: Continue reading “Inside the April 2016 Issue of StepMom Magazine”

The High-Conflict Ex – Inside the April 2016 Issue

High Conflict Ex Wife
Inside the April 2016 Issue

The High-Conflict Ex: 5 Tips for Managing Your Partner’s Past by Trisha Ladogna

Dealing with a high-conflict ex can be one of the hardest things a stepcouple faces. It can be difficult to know what to do or where to get the right support. The tension and conflict it stirs up can cause us to act against our natural instincts when it comes to arriving at trusting, open, empathetic responses and managing difficulty.

If not handled well, it can cause us to become edgy and feel defensive—or entirely helpless. These negative feelings and responses can then spill over into our relationships with our partners, children and stepchildren to create chaos in our most important relationships. Continue reading “The High-Conflict Ex – Inside the April 2016 Issue”

Stepmom Sanity Savers – Inside the April 2016 Issue

Stepmom Sanity Savers
Inside the April 2016 Issue

Stepmom Sanity Savers: 4 Secret Moves to a More Empowered You by Iishana Artra, PhD

A hallmark of sanity is possessing good judgment when faced with real life circumstances. As renowned expert Patricia L. Papernow, PhD, says, in stepfamilies, “What works is not intuitive.” In other words, good judgment here is largely a matter of stopping ourselves from stepparenting by reflex.

Seven years, according to Papernow, is the average time it takes to get the hang of stepfamily life. If we’re lucky? Four years. For some, surviving the learning curve is like climbing a 3,000-foot cliff in the rain, in winter, without shoes on and while dodging falling rocks. One sudden move could lead to all sorts of ruin. (That’s how I felt the first time I gave it a whirl.) Continue reading “Stepmom Sanity Savers – Inside the April 2016 Issue”

Stepfamily Life – Inside the April 2016 Issue

Stepfamily Life
Inside the April 2016 Issue

The Truth About Stepfamily Life: The Path to Peace Begins With Acceptance by Brenda Snyder LCSW

My job, as a writer and a stepmom coach, allows me to wear a few different hats. Most of the time I get to be an upbeat, cheerleadery type who encourages and assures clients that, “This is really hard, but you can do it!”

When we get down to work, I put on my coaching hat to help stepmoms and couples develop a new game plan. (Ya gotta have a strong defense!) The hat I find hardest to wear, however, is probably the most effective. It’s the one I wear when I challenge stepmoms to face unpleasant truths and then give them unpopular advice. Continue reading “Stepfamily Life – Inside the April 2016 Issue”

Expecting 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”