Children’s Bill of Rights – A Reminder on How to Keep Kids Out of the Middle by Lara R. Badain, ESQ.
Marriage is a contract between adults. When marriage ends, the divorce or separation should also be between the adults. However, the decision to end a marriage can, and usually does, have a significant and long-lasting impact upon the children. Parents have a responsibility to conduct the divorce proceedings in a manner that protects their children as much as possible from their conflict. Hopefully, doing so will help reduce the potential long-term emotional and psychological impacts of divorce. Continue reading “Children’s Bill of Rights – StepMom Magazine”
Tag: stepmom advice
Inside the December 2015 Issue of StepMom Magazine
The December 2015 issue of StepMom Magazine is HERE!
It’s known as the most wonderful time of the year. But, for many stepmoms, the holidays create unique stress and family tension.
Most families must make decisions about where to celebrate, when and with whom—but stepfamilies face extra challenges. Every year stepmoms ask: When are the kids coming over? Are the kids coming over? How do we manage everyone’s traditions?
The articles in this month’s issue are designed to take you back to simpler times and help you remember that as a stepmom you must focus on what you can control and to let go of what you can’t. You might just find that letting go doesn’t nullify your past—it helps you enjoy the present.
Here’s what’s inside when you subscribe: Continue reading “Inside the December 2015 Issue of StepMom Magazine”
Feeling Like an Outsider – Inside the December 2015 Issue
Stepmoms Home Alone: Avoid Feeling Like an Outsider This Holiday Season by Mary T. Kelly, MA
Do you remember the movie “Home Alone,” in which the harried parents of several children leave one of them behind while rushing out to catch a plane for a Christmas holiday trip?
The 8-year-old kid who’s left behind, Kevin (memorably portrayed by Macaulay Culkin), is stunned to find out he’s home alone. But he ends up being quite resourceful, avoiding unwanted intruders who were initially after the family goods and then shifted their focus to doing him harm just to get even with him.
You may be able to relate to that forgotten kid. You anticipate the holidays with dread, Continue reading “Feeling Like an Outsider – Inside the December 2015 Issue”
Stepmom Gifts – Inside the December 2015 Issue
The Best Gifts You Can Give A Stepmom: Advice for Friends and Family by Claudette Chenevert
The holiday season is a time when we often feel more giving, generous and helpful toward others. We’re in the mood to share of ourselves and our thoughts, but sometimes the gifts we give and receive may not be what a person wants—or needs—most.
If there’s a stepmom on your holiday shopping list, this article is for you. It presents several ways you and others can give her the best gifts of all because if there is one area of life in which we all get bombarded with advice, it’s parenting. Continue reading “Stepmom Gifts – Inside the December 2015 Issue”
Stepmom Myths – Inside the December 2015 Issue
The Truth About Being a Stepmom: Replace Those Old Stepmom Myths With New Mantras by Brenda Snyder, LCSW
Almost everything you hear early on in stepmother life serves no purpose except to make you feel bad about yourself. People are full of advice about how you should feel, how you can make yourself into a better or more supportive parent and how you shouldn’t expect anything from the kids—especially at first. (At first? You’ve been with this family for five years!)
Even well-meaning friends give laughable advice—fit for a traditional family, perhaps, but certainly not for a stepmom. Most people simply miss the point. Women in love with men who have children are a special breed. Continue reading “Stepmom Myths – Inside the December 2015 Issue”
A Stepmom’s Christmas Carol – Inside the December 2015 Issue
A Stepmom’s Christmas Carol: Lessons From the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future by Christina Roach, LMHC, NCC, DCC
The holidays are one of my favorite times of the year. Decorating the house, baking Christmas cookies, sipping hot cocoa while snuggled together watching snowfall … throw in some carolers and you have the makings of a picture-prefect celebration.
Whether your style is to go over-the-top during the holidays or take a more laid-back approach, there are most likely traditions you’ve carried with you from your childhood. They’ve become part of how you define the holidays. Without them, the festivities would seem a little less merry and bright. Continue reading “A Stepmom’s Christmas Carol – Inside the December 2015 Issue”
Long-Distance Stepfamily Holidays – In the December 2015 Issue
Long-Distance Holidays Stepfamily Style: 5 Ways to Connect When You Can’t Be Together by Heather Hetchler, MA
Holidays and family go together. Except when they don’t. There are many reasons stepfamilies aren’t together for the holidays. Sometimes, it’s a legal decree. Other times, one parent changes plans at the last minute or won’t allow the kids to come over. Kids may even choose (or be forced to choose) not to come to your home for the holidays at all.
It can be heartbreaking to have plans changed, children withheld or not be chosen as the home where the kids celebrate. Continue reading “Long-Distance Stepfamily Holidays – In the December 2015 Issue”
Stepmom Tip – How To Be A Good Stepmom
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Be yourself. You can be a good stepmom without having to change who you are.
Stepmom Tip – Set Boundaries.
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Set boundaries. Drama may knock, but you don’t have to open the door.
Stepmom Tip – Stepparenting Advice
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Stepparenting Advice: When it comes to stepparenting, persistence and perseverance are more important than perfection.