https://stepfamilysolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/normal-to-resent-your-stepchildren-e1708201762989.jpg 1199 1766 Beth McDonough http://stepfamilysolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/StepFamily_Solutions_Logo.png Beth McDonough2024-02-17 20:30:572026-06-19 22:29:20Why Its Normal To Resent Your Stepchildren
I Do, With Them Too? 3 Tips for the New Stepmom
Articles, Parenting & Child Development I will never forget the moment in my wedding when I said, “I do!” Standing at the altar, friends and family all around on a perfect April day. Everything went off without a hitch, and we had finally come to the moment of making the promise…

Parallel Parenting: The Case For Another Way
Articles, Parenting & Child Development Haven’t heard of parallel parenting? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. After a divorce or split, former partners often assume coparenting together is their only option. And they’re stumped about how to handle it when things go sideways. What…

What is the Role of a Stepparent? Redefining Parenting — One Step At A Time
Parenting & Child Development Stepparents have been around for a long time. They’ve stepped in, stepped up, and they have patiently allowed themselves to be painted into the background on many occasions. There are stories of wicked stepmothers both in real life and…

‘I Don’t Have A Stepmom’
Parenting & Child Development My daughter and I were cuddled up on the couch watching something together. Somehow, the subject of her brother came up and how I was his stepmom. No big deal. But then she turned to me and said, ‘Well, you are his stepmom. But I don’t…

4 Traits of Highly Effective Stepmoms
Parenting & Child Development 1. Self-Awareness It’s healthy for every person and parent out there to have developed a generous sense of self-awareness, but for a stepmom, it can be particularly useful. No matter what your situation as a stepmom is, whether it’s…

4 Simple Questions To Help Kids Change Their Behaviour
Parenting & Child DevelopmentIf we notice positive behaviour and comment on it, the positive behaviour will be repeated as long as we keep commenting on it and rewarding the child with positive attention. If we consistently comment on negative behaviour, we are inadvertently rewarding the child with attention. They will repeat this behaviour as long as we keep giving them attention for it.

How to Show Your Kids It’s Okay to Be Queer
Parenting & Child DevelopmentSo many of us instill the “straight” mentality, or heteronormativity rather, in little everyday moments that we don’t even realize we’re establishing norms and expectations that make our kids assume they’re straight, cis kids living in a straight, cis world, and that everything else is different. There are a few ways you, as parents, can incorporate an inclusion state of mind into your kids’ everyday life, regardless of whether or not anyone in your family is queer. The biggest piece of advice I can give other parents who want to make an effort to normalize queerness is to try not never assume heterosexuality.

What Divorced Moms Should Know About Stepmoms
Parenting & Child DevelopmentJenna Korf discusses 8 truths that aim to dispel common misconceptions that divorced moms have about stepmoms and their role in their children's lives.

8 Tips for Liking Your Stepchild – When you Don’t
Parenting & Child DevelopmentJenna Korf provides stepparents with tips on how they can work towards cultivating a better relationship with their stepchild.

Why I Don’t Want My Daughter to Grow Up to Be a Stepmom
Parenting & Child Development I love my family. My husband is thoughtful, helpful, and has the patience of a saint. My stepdaughter is full of joy, silly jokes, and cure-all hugs. My in-laws are kind, accepting, and understanding. But despite all of the love and happiness,…

Why I Don’t Love My Stepchildren as My Own
Parenting & Child Development When Gabe and I married, I understood I was committing to him and Sara, Amy, and Jack for the rest of my life. I had no idea what that actually meant. In hindsight, that’s probably a good thing. Knowing what I do now about parenting stepchildren,…

Surviving the Stepdaughter War
Parenting & Child Development My stepdaughter Amy has a war raging within her. It surfaced this weekend. “That’s not how mom makes potatoes,” she told me as I slid the roasting pan into the oven before dinner. After her shower, she came downstairs, long hair…

Coming Home: Custody Transition Do’s and Don’ts
Parenting & Child Development Over the years, Billy and I have shared custody in many different ways. We’ve bird nested, alternated every two days, spent time in a 2/5/5/2, and most recently, adopted a week-to-week schedule. While when the children change homes has…

Saying Goodbye: Custody Transition Do’s and Don’ts
Parenting & Child Development Years ago, when we first began sharing custody, I dreaded the time my children were with their father. I missed them terribly, and transitions triggered all my grief and guilt about our divorce. I felt like a part-time parent and the days…

