There are many stepfamilies in the US today. Some stepfamilies can get quite chaotic! I wrote these articles on stepfamily issues, they include Parenting Teamwork, Arranging for First Meetings, Living in a Stepfamily, Does Instant Love Occur in Stepfamilies and many others.
Discipline is a problem in most stepfamilies.
By: Susan Adams, M. Ed.
Discipline in Stepfamilies
Blending adults and children from different backgrounds often brings up problems with discipline due to the idea that people have different lifestyles and different philosophies of childrearing.
Children often resent direction from a stepparent, particularly if they have enjoyed greater freedom when their biological parent was single. Continue reading
By: Susan Adams, M. Ed.
Don’t take it personally if your stepchildren don’t like you. This is, in fact, usually the case. In the beginning kids tend to be pleased or tolerate their parent’s interest in a new adult. Continue reading
By: Susan Adams, M. Ed.
Sexuality in stepfamilies is different than in biological families because people of different sexes who are not related are living together. It is also different because the family begins with children when the sexual climate is higher. By the time children are born into biological families, the sexual climate has cooled down, generally, because partners have been living together longer. Continue reading
By: Susan Adams, M. Ed.
Remarriage may seem unlikely shortly after you divorce. Actually, 75% of women and 80% of men do remarry–usually within 5 years.
Of these, 80 % divorce again. Why?
I certainly don’t want to discourage remarriage. In fact, remarriage and the stepfamily, is the gift that the stepfamily gives the kids. Continue reading
By: Susan Adams, M. Ed.
It is often the case that grandparents are afraid for their children to remarry. They want their happiness but fear the loss of their grandchildren through remarriage.
By: Susan Adams, M. Ed.
As the stepparent, there are some things that you can do that will calm things down.
By: Susan Adams, M. Ed.
By: Susan Adams, M. Ed.
I often hear people in my office say that, “I have tried to love my stepchildren for my partner’s sake but they drive me crazy!
If this is true for you, it is perfectly normal. After all, your stepchildren are from a different family with different habits and rituals. They have a different history and some different values. Continue reading
By: Susan Adams, M. Ed.
By: Susan Adams, M. Ed.
