Stepparenting
April 24 comes around every year. It’s not like Leap Day; it never gets skipped on the calendar. In two days, my stepchildren will again remember their mother’s birthday. She would have been 49 this year. At least two anniversaries each year should not go without recognition in a grieving stepfamily: The deceased parent’s birth […]
After all that blogging about anger, I thought that bringing in a little bit of a “spring is blossoming” feeling here on the blog might brighten up the mood. I want to share some things I actually like about being a stepparent. I compose these “nine things” lists (instead of ten things) just to be different, […]
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Last Wednesday I blogged about anger, and the very same day another of my stepparent colleagues also blogged about stepparent anger. Are we affected by the upcoming full moon, or is this a recurring theme families need to pay attention to? What do you think? I’ve been focusing on ways I can “come down” from feeling […]
Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret. -Ambrose Bierce There are three cardinal rules I have to follow when I feel angry at a member of my stepfamily. I’m writing about this because I have blown it before. No real good comes out of a screaming […]
Your turn: If you have any comments or advice for this reader, please comment below or send me an e-mail at info@dianefromme.com. I’ve recently been in e-mail dialogue with a concerned stepmother. She’s stepparenting three elementary- and middle-school-aged children whose mother died several years ago. My heart went out to her as I read about […]
Continue reading about A Reader Writes: If Everyone’s Fine, Why do I Feel Stressed?
I am running a slightly edited version of yesterday’s post for the Wednesday stepparenting blog because I think the theme of “hosting a stranger” also applies to stepfamilies. Your partner’s kids are your brave new frontier. Will you to rise to the challenge? One of my loves is to coordinate international exchange students. I match […]
(Most writers like the top ten approach, but I like for you to fill in the tenth!) Various situations in my life continue to point out the extreme importance of communication. The worst trap of all in a stepfamily is no communication. Assumptions fill the gaps and actions are based on the assumptions! One way […]
You might think that this post relates to the stepparent being new in the family. Instead, I thought I’d focus today on the new kid you and your spouse might bring into town: your baby. While your stepfamily may arrive at some household decisions together as a family, having a baby is an adult decision. […]
Here’s one of those little conundrums on which I would love to hear your opinions. Please take a minute to reply! When your young adult children or stepchildren take up another residence, do they keep your house keys or return them? Also and perhaps more importantly, can they enter your house whenever they want, to […]
This is the third in a Wednesday post series about the role of the parent in stepfamilies. Stepfamilies might feel more cohesive if the parent is able to: Be the central hub of the stepfamily. Be the main disciplinarian in the stepfamily. Be physically available (present). Be emotionally available (interested). Today we’re looking at how […]