Tag Archive for: Boundaries

Stepmum smiling

4 Traits of Highly Effective Stepmoms

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…
Two Women Who Do Not Like Each Other

11 Reasons Why Your Husband’s Ex-Wife Hates You

Jenna Korf provides 11 reasons why your spouse's ex-wife may not think too fondly of you.
Woman Whispering

What Divorced Moms Should Know About Stepmoms

Jenna Korf discusses 8 truths that aim to dispel common misconceptions that divorced moms have about stepmoms and their role in their children's lives.
Stepmum Writing

How to Communicate with Mom: Crafting Your Stepmom Philosophy

My best friend is my stepdaughter’s mom. Yep, you read that right. What’s the question that follows that confession every single time? “How in the world did you get to that point?!” My biggest recommendation for helping other…
Couple Talking

15 Things Stepmom Wishes Her Husband Knew

In that moment, I knew I couldn’t say anything to make him understand. I could verbalize my emotions until I was blue in the face, but he just wasn’t going to make sense of my words. Exhausting myself trying to explain why I was struggling…
Parent Disciplining Child

Disciplining Stepchildren: 5 Tips for Parents

Whenever I coach stepfamilies – either parents, their children or the family as a whole – there’s one issue that almost always crops up: discipline. How do stepparents avoid being seen as the nasty interloper with ridiculous new rules,…
Stepmum releasing energy

Letting Go of Negative Emotions

Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and thought, what is going on? What am I becoming? I started looking at a version of myself that I didn't recognize. Have you ever felt outraged over someone else's behavior and became obsessive…
Stepmum Meditating

Be True to You

People tend to describe me as kind, fun, driven, adventurous, helpful, creative, confident, hard-working, and loyal. My sister calls me the “goodwill ambassador” because I am always trying to make friends, keep the peace, and find balance.…
Woman with Hands Up

Dealing with Emotionally Abusive People

In the stepmom role, I've encountered a significant increase in dealing with emotionally abusive people. Researching these types of people has helped me to step back and see these people for who they truly are, without getting emotionally sucked…
Family Reading a Book

The Importance of Structure and Consistency in the Lives of Children

Through my own experience with my stepdaughters, and with many years in the education system, I have learned the value of structure and consistency for children. Learnersdictionary.com defines structure as, “the quality of something…
Shutting Ex-Wife Out

Six Steps for Setting Boundaries with Your Partner’s High-Conflict Ex

During the first couple years of marriage to my husband, he was extremely reluctant to set boundaries or even noticed the need for them. I, on the other hand, was ready to explode with all the inappropriate behavior from his high-conflict ex…
Pensive Stepmum

Five Stepmom Truths for His High-Conflict Ex

When it came the time to meet his ex I suspect we were all a bit apprehensive. She was the one before us and at one time your partner loved this woman. They will forever be a part of each other's lives as they share children, future grandchildren,…
Guilt Trip

Stepping Away from Divorced Parent Guilt

Creating boundaries is important for self-care… oftentimes, our survival. They are a healthy way to protect ourselves from some tricky situations we may find ourselves in as a stepparent. Figuring out what we can control, and what we can’t,…
Pensive Stepmum

Stepping Above the Drama of His Ex-Wife

Being a stepmom in a newly blended family has been the hardest task of my life. For me, the most challenging part has been learning how to deal with my husband’s ex and controlling my feelings towards her actions. BuI don’t have a feel-good…
Pensive Stepmum

The Stepmom Who Wanted to Leave…But Stayed

When I married my husband I anticipated a wonderful marriage full of love and devotion but what I didn’t expect was feeling like I had made the biggest mistake of my life. I left my perfectly happy single life and never anticipated the heaviness…