Stepfamily Dynamics
Stepfamilies are unique and individual – what works for one family may not work for another. Understanding the dynamics of your children and partner in the new constellation of your stepfamily helps create more harmony, trust and connection. By Jeffrey Cottrill Stepfamilies have unique and changing dynamics you need to respect and navigate along the way. "It's important not to diminish the biological, non-residential parent in any way," says Lillian Messinger, author of Remarriage: A Family Affair. "The children have a right to that parent's love." Ex-spouses will still be linked to ea...
The Challenges of Re-Marrying and Becoming a Stepparent
With two of three remarriages ending in divorce, it’s clearly challenging to successfully create a happy and lasting stepfamily. Preparation and good communication go a long way to helping you overcome the challenges of re-marriage, blending families and becoming a stepparent. By Jeffrey Cottrill Perhaps you're getting married to someone with children from a previous relationship, or else you have children and are getting remarried. Are you (or your new partner) ready for an instant stepfamily? To make it work, you need to let go of any preconceived notions you may have about stepfamil...
Setting Ground Rules In Your Stepfamily
With two of three remarriages ending in divorce, it’s clearly challenging to successfully create a happy and lasting stepfamily. Preparation and good communication go a long way to helping you overcome the challenges of re-marriage, blending families, and stepparenting By Jeffrey Cottrill Stepfamilies are very different than a “traditional” family where all the children have the same parents and require new rules, guidelines and agreements than you might have been able to use before. Experts say that clear, all-inclusive plans are necessary to make a stepfamily work. Who spends tim...
10 Tips for Keeping Love Alive
Knowing how to nurture and strengthen your love relationships on a daily basis helps pave the way for sustainable love and connection. Here are some tips for keeping love alive in your relationship. By Diana Shepherd 1. Make time to connect lovingly with your partner every day. A couple can significantly improve their chances of relationship success by devoting as little as 15 minutes a day exclusively to each other. For instance, choose to go to bed a little earlier and wake up a little earlier, and spend the extra time in bed cuddling, making love, and reaffirming your love for each ot...
How Blended Families Differ from Nuclear Families
Just because you’ve found someone you love after divorce and want to spend the rest of your days with doesn’t mean your children will be so loving or excited about the new stepfamily. There are some important differences between a blended family and a nuclear family that can help you get your stepfamily off on the right footing. By Jeffrey Cottrill Although blended families, or stepfamilies, have become much more common and accepted in recent years, people still fall into the trap of expecting them to run on automatic. The most frequent mistake that people make when marrying into ste...
5 Ways to Keep Children of Divorce Out of Conflict
The stress parents face during divorce can bring that conflict and stress into the home environment and their children. If you’ve criticized your ex or even lost your cool about the situation in front of your children, here are some ways you can keep your children clear of the emotional damage. By Alison Fosbery, M.A Do you hope to make your divorce as easy as possible for your children? Parents often face very stressful situations during a divorce. Sometimes stress can cause parents to vent to their children, and conflict can surface in front of them. It is important to realize that c...
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