Tag Archive for: role model

Mother and Daughter

‘I Don’t Have A Stepmom’

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…
Mother and Adult Daughter

All Mothers Matter

I recently watched my grandmother die. She was nearly 93, at the end of a long and storied life, and she had no pain. My mother and I were with her, alone together in the room as she left us. In offering condolences, the hospice workers commented…
Teenagers

Building Teenage Confidence Isn’t One Giant Leap

The teenage years are well known as a time of self-doubt and low confidence. This can happen for a number of reasons, but you’ll be pleased to know that there are lots of things you can do to help your step-teenager counteract such feelings. During…
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 with Stepchildren

How to Be a Good Role Model to Your Stepchildren

There are elements of parenting that stepparents can overlook, perhaps because they feel that they don’t apply to them, and one of these is being a role model. In fact, considering yourself as a role model can be very helpful in creating…
Family Laughing

Stepchildren Just Want to Fit In – Part 3

As a stepdad, I found some ways to help my stepchildren feel like they fit into our blended family. Being a stepdad to 3 great kids motivated me to show them that they belong in our family, that I believe in them, and that I want to see…
Family Laughing

Stepchildren Just Want to Fit In – Part 2

As a stepdad, I found some ways to help my stepchildren feel like they fit into our blended family. It was my goal to have my stepchildren feel that they belong to our family, that I believe in them, and that I want to see them become the…
Family Laughing

Stepchildren Just Want to Fit In – Part 1

As a stepdad, I found some ways to help my step kids feel like they fit into our blended family. Becoming a stepdad when my step kids were 8, 10 and 12, made my life way more chaotic than I had ever experienced and at the same time more…
Stepdad reading to stepchildren

Showing Affection to Stepkids

Affection can be shown in ways other than hugs and kisses After being a stepdad for thirteen years, it didn’t feel odd at all to welcome my wife’s sixteen-year-old niece into our home. My step kids are grown and out of the house and…
Stepmum and Stepdaughter

Being a Stepmom Rocks! The Perks of Stepmotherhood

Stepmoms endure many challenges in their role. They can be deemed as “evil” or “wicked”, but the perks of being a stepmom are something that can’t be forgotten. Being a stepmom rocks in many ways. 1. You Gain Acceptance & Love Creating…
Family Hugging

How to Honor Stepmoms on Mother’s Day

Mother's Day for stepmoms and their partners can be a tricky day to navigate; emotions can run high and anxiety can brew. Some recognize Mother's Day. Some recognize Stepmother's Day, which is the following Sunday. Some make up their own…
Stepmum and Stepchild

Why It’s OK To Love Your Stepchildren Like Your Own ― And What That Really Means

As I started off my role as a stepmom, I would hear people say, “You can’t possibly love your step-kids as your own. It’s not the same.” At the beginning of my stepmom journey, I would say that I agreed with that statement. I…
Happy Woman

How Becoming A Stepmom Made Me Love Myself More

When I first came on the scene in the beginning stages of dating my now-husband, I had very little concept as to how dating a single father and becoming a stepmom would ultimately change my life. The biological mother of my now-stepson didn’t…
Stepmum Feeling Sad

To All The Stepmoms in The Trenches

For the determined stepmom who is in the trenches, I feel you. For the new stepmom who cried this morning, I’ve been there. For the seasoned stepmom who still battles resentment, I’m with you. This road can feel…