Tag: stepmom help

Inside the March 2016 Issue of Stepmom Magazine

StepMom Magazine March 2016
The March 2016 Issue

The March 2016 issue of StepMom Magazine is HERE!

Being a stepmom is a job no one gets right in the beginning. No one. That’s why we explore and offer solutions to some of the most common challenges faced by all stepmoms in this month’s issue.

From learning how to prioritize your relationship to stepfamily estate planning to finding ways to improve your relationship with your stepchild, you’ll find it inside this month’s edition.

AND we talk with Meghan King Edmonds: stepmom and Real Housewives of OC star. She dishes about her life in front of the cameras, her homerun-hitting husband and what she’s learned (the hard way!) about being a stepmom.

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

Stepfamily Life – Inside the March 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”

Younger Stepmoms – Inside the March 2016 Issue

Younger Stepmoms
Inside the March 2016 Issue

The Younger Stepmom: Strategies for Women Partnered With Older Men by Brenda Snyder, LCSW

As if being a stepmom wasn’t hard enough, many stepcouples face another challenge—an age gap. And, while none of us is immune to the unflattering stereotypes heaped onto stepmoms (i.e., tramp, gold digger, trophy wife and evil homewrecker), those slurs are often hurled more harshly at younger women who partner with older men.

Those stereotypes don’t even hint at the fact that we love and are committed to our partners (be they young, old or somewhere in between). Continue reading “Younger Stepmoms – Inside the March 2016 Issue”

Stepcouple Strategies – Inside the March 2016 Issue

Stepcouple Strategies
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”

Successful Stepmom Tips – Inside the March 2016 Issue

Successful Stepmom Tips
Inside the March 2016 Issue

Successful Stepmoms: Is It Luck—or Hard Work? by Trisha Ladogna

With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, I started thinking about all of the lucky stepmoms I know—the ones whose days aren’t filled with bickering with their partners about parenting or schedules. The ones who have positive interactions with their stepkids and actually look forward to spending time with them. The ones who spend time with their partners’ exes and whose partners spend time with their exes without forming knots in their stomachs. The ones who seem to have found the four-leaf clover of stepfamilies. Continue reading “Successful Stepmom Tips – 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”

Inside the February 2016 Issue of Stepmom Magazine

Stepmom Magazine February 2016
The February 2016 Issue

The February 2016 issue of StepMom Magazine is HERE!

In this month’s edition, we address lots of different sources of struggle and frustration.

Are you having trouble making time for sex? Read Wednesday Martin’s tips for “Getting It On!” (p. 11). Got a mini-wife in your midst? Mary Kelly helps you remedy that situation on p. 16. Think you “should” have mastered this gig already? Christina Roach sets you straight on p. 32. Rachelle Katz even weighs in—on thorny Valentine’s surprises (p. 5).

Most importantly, The February 2016 issue of StepMom Magazine offers advice on how to work together with your partner to keep your relationship strong for the long haul!

Continue reading “Inside the February 2016 Issue of Stepmom Magazine”

Stepcouple Sex – Inside the February 2016 Issue

Stepcouple Sex
Inside the February 2016 Issue

Getting It On: Sex and the Woman With Stepkids by Wednesday Martin, PhD

Let’s talk about stepcouple sex. Sex is different for stepmothers.

Let me explain. Sex is sex, of course, and in marriage it is frequently, well, vexed. Too much. Not enough. Too tired. Too stressed. Too worried. Too busy. But interviewing women with stepchildren and reviewing the psychological and sociological literature for my book “Stepmonster,” I found that women married to or partnered with men with kids face several very specific hurdles to a satisfying sex life. Continue reading “Stepcouple Sex – Inside the February 2016 Issue”

Stepdaughter Issues – Inside the February 2016 Issue

Stepdaughter Issues
Inside the February 2016 Issue

Mini-Wives: A Stepmom’s Guide to Dealing With His Dominating Daughter by Mary T. Kelly, MA

Are you having stepdaughter issues?

PICTURE THIS: It’s your wedding day and you’re marrying the ideal man for you. Granted, he comes with a 6-year-old daughter—but you’ve known her for a while and you get along well. Your special day is going to be perfect!

Imagine your surprise when it’s time for the first dance and your brand spanking new husband reaches out for his daughter’s hand and leads her to the dance floor. You’re left standing there, as heat fills your cheeks and you attempt a feeble smile aimed at the guests, hoping that the pounding in your heart isn’t noticeable.

Yet, it only gets worse. Continue reading “Stepdaughter Issues – Inside the February 2016 Issue”

Stepmom Resentment – Inside the February 2016 Issue

stepmom resentment
Inside the February 2016 Issue

Stepmoms Who Give Too Much: 4 Signs You’re Pushing Yourself Down the Path of Martyrdom by Claudette Chenevert

Stepmom resentment. As stepmoms, we sometimes sacrifice time with friends, extended family and even ourselves to cater to our partners and/or stepkids. We do this in part (and often subconsciously) in the hope that we’ll be viewed as the ideal stepmom—the one who’s there for everyone. Yet, when we’re finally exhausted and recognize we’re in need of help, little to none can be found.

Do you ever try to be all things to all people only to realize that no one truly notices or benefits from it as much as you thought they would? Continue reading “Stepmom Resentment – Inside the February 2016 Issue”