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All Articles for Blended Family
Resurrecting Your Marriage after a Wildernes...
Your stepfamily wilderness season may involve a broken marital vow, a stepchild who doesn’t want to be part of the family, or loneliness. Regardless of your circumstances, you don’t have to stay stuck wandering in the wilderness.
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Is He Marriage Material? 6 Qualities That Te...
What makes a man marriage material? In my own search, I’ve kept a list of nonnegotiables—most revolve around Christlike character.
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Romancing Your Spouse While Blending a Famil...
Romance easily gets pushed out when we’re juggling the overwhelming emotions and hard-to-navigate circumstances in a blended family.
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Finding Hope After a Broken Engagement
I began to see how God would use my broken engagement when I stopped fighting for control. He wanted to grow me through it.
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4 Proactive Steps to Take Before Stepfamily...
Among the hectic schedules and between-home dilemmas, stepfamilies can have fun memory-filled holidays, too. It just takes some extra work.
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The Grief That Stole Christmas: 6 Reminders...
Holiday seasons aren’t always merry for blended families. The season can resurrect grief from divorce, death, or another tragedy.
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Loving Mercy: A Theological Basis for Blende...
Good ministry to stepfamilies must also begin with good theology. Sin is messy. But it is no match for God’s unfathomable grace in Christ.
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8 Tips for a Peaceful Stepfamily Holiday
It’s likely your holiday season will include tense moments. Don’t fret. Holidays can be joyous and memorable even if they’re not perfect.
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When Your Friend Struggles with Rejection in...
Rejection shows up at some point in most every stepparent’s life. If you’re not a stepparent yourself, you might wonder how to help. Here are a few ideas.
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Men: Tips to Lead Your Stepfamily Well
You may not find quick-and-easy answers to all your questions when you marry into a stepfamily. But with God’s help, you can lead your stepfamily well.
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Stepfamily Dynamics: When You’re Not Blend...
Co-parenting, jealousy, and stepsibling conflict can chip away at a family’s future. But five changes can create a lasting impact on stepfamily dynamics.
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5 Ways to Honor Your Stepdad on Father’s D...
Being a stepdad on Father’s Day can be a tricky, often overlooked, role. But here are a few ways to show your appreciation.
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Appreciating a Stepmom on Mother’s Day: Ti...
A mixed bag of emotions comes with being a stepmom on Mother’s Day. A day set aside to honor moms, where does that leave a stepmom?
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Blended Family Stress During the Pandemic
My heart grieves as friends describe new struggles and blended family stress during the pandemic. It feels like too much to manage some days, doesn’t it?
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How to Bond With Your Stepfamily: 5 Tips
Quarantine and most blended families don’t mix. And if you’re wondering how to bond with your stepfamily while home, you might feel stuck.
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Without an Escape: Blended Families in Quara...
I worry about blended families in quarantine where emotions are being processed in a place that doesn’t feel safe. For stepchildren and stepparents alike.
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What’s the Right Place for Stepfamilie...
The effort to lump stepfamilies at church with biological families may have noble motivations. But it often leaves stepfamilies feeling unloved and unseen.
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Remarrying in the Empty Nest Years
Most people mistakenly believe remarrying in the empty nest years is easier. But this union brings its own unique struggles.
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Blending Families Isn’t as Easy as the...
Many blended family weddings incorporate a ceremony called “blending of the sands.” But in reality it does not mean they have obtained “familyness.”
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The Path Through Rejection in Blended Famili...
Rejection in blended families hurts and is discouraging. What is needed is the resolve to keep going and a few helpful tools.
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Battle of the Moms in a Blended Family
Advice on seeing both the stepmom’s and biological mom’s perspectives.
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Setting Financial Boundaries in Blended Fami...
Blended family couples avoid many problems when they communicate and discuss money matters mutually.
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Guidelines for Discussing Finances With an E...
These practical strategies will give you tools for a peaceful and effective interchange.
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‘I’m So Grateful to Know I’m Not Alone...
Josh and Tracey Devine barely survived their blended family turmoil, but with God’s grace and the help of resources like FamilyLife Blended®, they are now helping other stepfamilies survive and thrive.
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What Would Joseph Do?
There is endless capacity for a loving relationship between a stepdad and his stepchildren.
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Choosing Sides: Supporting Your Spouse in a...
When you must decide between siding with your child or your spouse in a blended family, choose your spouse.
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5 Things Your Divorcing Friend Needs
Another friend called to tell me his wife filed for divorce. He’s devastated, yet ready to move on. I listened and wondered what my divorcing friend needs.
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Going to Church As a Single Parent or Blende...
As a single mom turned stepmom, I look to the church for help to heal. But it’s challenging to feel accepted in a place where my family isn’t reflected.
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Two Funerals and a Wedding
Three ways I’ve helped my stepfamily grieve the deaths of both previous spouses.
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The Search: Who Am I Now?
From widow and single mother to second wife and stepmom, my soul suffered an identity crisis.
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Survival Tips for the First Year of Stepfami...
Ten ideas that helped (or would have helped) my family during our first blended year.
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Some Good News About the Bad News About Marr...
Divorce rates aren’t really as bad as the academics were implying.
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Learning to Speak Marriage Again
A new marriage requires learning different forms of affection, communication, traditions, and expectations.
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A Healthy Stepfamily Needs ‘God-Esteem...
Jesus told us to love our neighbors as ourselves, but that requires first knowing who we are in Christ.
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Creating Closer Relationships in Stepfamilie...
Strengthen bonds between kids and stepparents by going on a trip that doesn’t fit into the status quo.
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Co-Parenting Doesn’t Have to Be Ugly
When the world is telling you to blame your ex-spouse and embrace bitterness, you can work on turning your thoughts toward a peaceful working relationship.
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A Time to Grieve During Stepfamily Holidays
Three helpful hints I use to navigate the holidays in my blended family.
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Navigating the Holidays as an Adult Child of...
At Christmas, decisions for an adult child of divorce become especially difficult, with both parents vying for your loyalty and attention.
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Grafting: A Painful but Beautiful Process fo...
Your blended family may have another river to cross and a few more battles to face, but don’t give up—significant rewards lie ahead.
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Stepparenting and the Law
Even though the legal rights of a stepparent over his or her stepchildren is limited, love is not limited.
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Extending Love and Grace to Outsiders in Ble...
God showed His love for us by bringing the outsider in, and that’s how Christians should love the “extended” members of stepfamilies.
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Divorced Parents Can Co-Parent Peacefully
Divorced parents should constantly evaluate themselves and ask if their behavior is helping or hurting their children.
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The Role of a Stepgrandparent
As a stepgrandparent, you can be an important and influential role in the family with a little grace and wisdom.
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Parents Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Biological parents who find themselves caught between their spouse and their child should step out of the conflict as often as possible.
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How to Cook a Stepfamily
I like to use cooking as an analogy to identify some integration styles that stepfamilies attempt to utilize.
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The Challenge of Re-Sex
Sex is an important part of remarriage, but a healthy sexual relationship doesn’t necessarily result in a healthy marriage.
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Stepparenting Teenagers
Adolescence is a natural time of turmoil in nearly every family.
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Dealing With a Destructive Ex-Spouse
One of the most menacing dynamics attacking the health of a stepfamily is a destructive parent in the other home.
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Setting Boundaries for a Meddling Ex-Spouse
When you have a new marriage and blended family, it's important to build a respectful working relationship with your ex.
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Having an ‘Ours’ Baby
If you are planning to have an ours baby, here are some suggestions to consider for preparation.
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Placing Your Spouse in the Front Seat of You...
Your children will benefit when you make a strong commitment to your new spouse.
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10 Things to Know Before You Remarry
Challenges every single parent should consider before deciding to remarry.
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Maximizing the Fun Factor in Your Remarriage
A regular dose of fun, relaxing time together is a key part of a dynamic, fulfilling marriage relationship.
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Do You Feel Like an Outsider With Your Stepc...
Practical suggestions for stepmoms.
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Honest Communication Is a Stepfamily’s Gre...
Every time David successfully put off another conflict, he stored up resentment toward his wife or stepchildren for “controlling him.”
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Stepfamilies: Is This Normal?
Blended families live in a different land than first-families.
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7 Suggestions for a Parent Going Through Div...
She did her best to turn our four sons and small community against me.
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Life Lessons of a Control Freak
The world I thought I had perfect control over had turned upside down. But that's when God started teaching me how to walk by faith.
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Stepfamilies Are Different … and the Same
Many couples think that their blended family will flow and function like a biological family, only with different people involved.
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Staying Close in Remarriage
Strong couples feel close to one another because they know what to do to make that happen.
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When a Stepparent Feels Like an Outsider
When one of the two partners feels like an outsider, it doesn't just affect the family dynamics.
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Stepmom: The Place Between Rock and Hard
Stepfamilies are hard no matter what your circumstances were before remarriage. Here are seven practical steps for healthy relationships.
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Autism and the Blended Family
Your special needs stepfamily can find peace and stability with time and the right tools and perspective.
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Family Identity, Family Meeting
For stepfamilies, family meetings can build much needed family traditions, create memories, and establish a working family identity.
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10 Survival Tips for Stepfamily Life
Many couples travel to the “foreign country” of stepfamily living with little or no preparation.
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Misplaced Frustration
We’ve all done it: We’ve all unjustly taken our anger against one person out on another. The question is, what do we do about it?
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Everyone Thought They Were Perfect for Each...
Despite doing all the right things in seemingly right circumstances, Rob and Rhonda Bugh struggled to make their remarriage work.
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A Roadmap to Harmony in Your Blended Marriag...
The simple events of everyday life can create hurt feelings and anger that send blended families down the road to isolation.
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Don’t Let Money Ruin Your Marriage
A list of 34 questions to ask before the wedding.
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Talking Blended
The terms used to define and describe the blended family experience vary from person to person.
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Step-money: Getting to the Heart of the Matt...
When you combine the practical challenges of money management with the complications of stepfamily living, money issues become volatile.
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Second-Half Stepfamilies
Helping adult stepchildren transition into a stepfamily
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God Loves Stepfamilies, Too
Christian stepfamily adults are often caught in a holding pattern around God and His church, unable to touch down in His love.
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Guiding Stepfamilies Through Wilderness Wand...
While attempting to combine a new stepfamily, John and Diane were once again trying to accept the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Only their church wouldn't accept them.
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Smart Churches, Smart Stepfamilies
If churches are going to remain strong, they must intentionally work to build smart stepfamilies.
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Swimming in the Blended Family Ocean
FamilyLife Blended™ is passionate about helping stepfamilies succeed.
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7 Steps to Beginning a Stepfamily Ministry
The core method of stepfamily ministry is starting a class or small group of couples who come together to study and support one another.
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Choosing Love
I’m convinced that God uses the stepfamily experience to teach His children about choosing love.
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Is It Graduation Time?
When is it time for stepfamilies and stepparents to graduate to the next stage of life? When is it time for them to stop viewing their relationships as new?
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Stepmother’s Day
Everyone agreed that stepparents should be acknowledged, but doing so was often awkward for the entire family.
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Getting Honest About the Death of a Marriage
If you haven't dealt with your previous marriage, it's never too late. Taking the time to heal may be the most important thing you do for your second marriage.
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Take the Couple Checkup
Discover your relational strengths and identify areas where you can grow in your marriage relationship.
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They Thought Marriage Would Be Easy
Kyle and Jamie Soucie had been married before. This time, they figured, things would work out “happily ever after.”
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A Second Chance to Marry Jason
Even after we were divorced, my husband pursued me.
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Correcting an Old Mistake
When Darryl Smith began calling his ex-wife Gwen, she just laughed. "You got me once. You won't get me twice."
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Marriage Is Better the Second Time
Chip and Jan Winnard were like "two people trying to glue themselves together without the glue.”
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Q&A: Who’s More Important— the C...
Developing a good relationship with a spouse and a stepchild
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Playing Favorites Can Wreak Havoc in a Stepf...
Stepfamilies are especially vulnerable to parental favoritism
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Stepfather, What Do Your Kids Need?
You cannot afford to be a vanishing father to your biological children.
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Stepmom to Stepmom
Sharing experiences of Mother’s Day.
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Dreading that Six-Week Summer Visitation
It's common for stepfamily kids to spend weeks at a nonresidential parent’s home during the summer. Here are some tips for managing the challenges.
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Becoming Friends and Family
Issues for second-half stepfamilies to consider.
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The Communication Difference
Making assumptions about your spouse’s thoughts, feelings, and motives is a risky endeavor.
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A Matter of Perspective
The difference between premarried hope and stepfamily reality
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13 Tips for Divorced Parents
When you and your ex-spouse fight, it's your children who suffer.
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Telling Secrets in the Other Home
How do you deal with a child who is sharing private information with an ex?
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Part-time Parenting
After a divorce, part-time parenting is challenging. Take the risk of acting like a parent and perhaps your children will respect you as one.
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When Your Children’s Other Home Is Lea...
Children who have one parent not living a Christian life will need "spiritual inoculations" to help deal with an environment that's hostile to their faith.
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Holiday Power Plays
How stepfamilies can curb conflict and tension during the Christmas season.
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A Relationship-Positioning System for Marria...
The Couple Checkup offers couples a checkup on the health of their marriage.
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How to Build a Relationship With Your Stepch...
With healthy expectations and a specific strategy to build a relationship, a satisfying bond can be nurtured.
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Q&A: Parenting Difficult Stepchildren
Children in blended families are going to feel like they don't belong, and they often take it out on the stepparent. But there is hope.
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9 Ways to Help Children Adjust to Two Homes
If they work together, divorced parents can help their children adjust to differences between homes.
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When Logic Said ‘No,’ My Heart Said ‘W...
As I considered remarriage, I was scared of the work it would take to blend these two families.
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13 Ideas to Manage Holiday Step-Stress
The normal stress of the holidays is multiplied for stepfamilies.
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The Loyalty Tug of War
Stepchildren often feel caught between their biological parents.
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When the Children Feel Alienated
What to do when remarriage destabilizes a child’s world.
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The Dance of Want
The difficulty of seeking the respect and acceptance of a stepchild.
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The Blame Game
The first two years of stepparent-stepchild relationships tend to be tense and stressful for everyone.
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The Attachment Difference
Stepparents must develop a secure bond with their stepchildren.
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Stepparenting Discipline Dos and Don’t...
A delicate balancing act for blended families.
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Encouragement for the Long Journey
Remember Hebrews 12:2 as you look forward to a future payoff for your parenting efforts.
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The Overprotective Parent
Problems arise when a biological parent continually tries to guide, guard, and direct the stepparent’s every step.
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Helping Stepchildren Cope with Dual Citizens...
Divorced parents who fight with each other are trampling on their most prized possession—their children who have to live in both homes
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Bridge Building: Strengthening Relationships...
Finding an effective stepparent role is a challenge.
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6 Tips for Building Relationships with Your...
Improving your relationship is a challenge, so be intentional.
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Overcoming the Jealousy Monster
Sarah and Michelle alike found themselves jealous of their stepchildren.
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Where’s Mom?
It hurts to watch a child suffer rejection from an uninvolved parent. Or from an inconsistent parent who promises time together and repeatedly breaks the promise.
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The Perplexes of the Exes
Learning to put away childishness when dealing with a previous spouse.
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How to Develop Healthy Relationships with St...
Though stepfamilies may look like traditional nuclear families on the outside, the dynamics on the inside are very different.
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Stepping Up in a Stepfamily
The spiritual struggle of many Christian stepfamily adults.
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11 Ways for a Stepdad to Engage With His Fam...
Suggestions from experienced stepfathers on conquering Stepdad Mountain.
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Is Remarriage a Step in the Right Direction?
You must understand the challenges of stepfamily living in order to make an informed choice about remarriage.
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