Your stepfamily may have another river to cross and a few more battles to face, but don’t give up—significant rewards lie ahead.

Even though the legal rights of a stepparent over his or her stepchildren is limited, love is not limited.

God showed His love for us by bringing the outsider in, and that’s how Christians should love the “extended” members of stepfamilies.

Divorced parents should constantly evaluate themselves and ask if their behavior is helping or hurting their children.

You can be an important and influential role in the family with a little grace and wisdom.

Healthy leadership coalitions bolster the influence of the leaders in businesses and in families. When parents align to support each other, they lead from a position of unity. In blended…

Whether you realize it or not, your stepfamily has likely assumed a specific integration style. By that, I mean a set of assumptions about how your stepfamily ‘ought’ to come…

Sex is an important part of remarriage, but a healthy sexual relationship doesn’t necessarily result in a healthy marriage.

“If you think your life is hectic during the holidays, you ought to try coordinating schedules, dinner plans, and Christmas gifts with the parents of three households—most of whom don’t…

Challenges every single parent should consider before deciding to remarry.

Sarah called my office with a question I have heard a thousand times. “My husband’s ex-wife is a very unhealthy person. She attacks us frequently in front of the kids…

“Should we have a baby together?” It’s an interesting question from stepfamily couples and I’m always taken aback by it.  Couples on their first marriage never ask me that question!…

Your children will benefit when you make a strong commitment to your new spouse.

The holidays are hard for the Deal family. Since our son Connor died in February 2009, Christmas has just not been the same.  He was only 12 when he left…

Nicole never saw it coming. Since she had a respectful, decent working relationship with her ex-husband, she never anticipated how intrusive her fiancé’s ex-wife, Sharon, would be. While Nicole and…

One of my favorite parent educators, Roger Allen, once said, “I have good news and bad news about the terrible 2s. The good news is that they only last around…

A regular dose of fun, relaxing time together is a key part of a dynamic, fulfilling relationship.

There have been many times as a stepmom when I (Laura) felt like running away from home. The loneliness and frustration often felt overwhelming, and no one seemed to understand. In the…

Shortly after my wife and I married, we went with my parents to Kenya for a brief missionary effort. My parents continued to lead an annual trip to Kenya for…

To understand the behavior of children in stepfamilies (including adult stepchildren), you must understand loyalty and the natural tug-of-war it creates.  Cameron’s mom has been asking him for a month…

Between the joy and hope of the Christmas season, some stepfamilies find themselves in frustrating power plays between homes. “Because he is on edge and doesn’t want to deal with…

David’s new marriage was on the verge of failure. It wasn’t that he didn’t love his wife; they just could not agree on how much responsibility their children should have….

I’ve had the privilege of traveling to Africa a few times in my life. The rules of the road and expectations of other drivers are not like those in the…

It was late in 2007 when I knew that something was not right in my marriage. My wife was very distant and didn’t want to talk about our problems. She…

Growing up, my parents provided for my brothers and me whatever they could, but money wasn’t always available. Yet they gave me something far greater than the expensive trappings of…

I’ve been a therapist working with stepfamilies for over two decades, and I often can’t get couples to understand one simple truth: Stepfamilies are different from biological families. Many couples…

“How tall is it?” I ignorantly asked a Kenyan missionary. “Mount Kilimanjaro is over 19,000 feet tall,” he smiled. “It’s big!” No kidding, I thought. I could see the outline of the…

Strong couples feel close to one another because they know what to do to make that happen.

When I saw the uncontrollably shaking shoulders of my stepdaughter-in-law as she wept at our wedding, I knew the stepmom life was going to be harder than I thought. Since…

Did you ever play the game Lock Out on your school playground? The game begins when kids form a circle by interlocking arms. Then one person on the outside attempts…