All Articles for Blended Family

Stepdads don’t always get the attention and gratitude they deserve. But it’s never too late to show appreciation for all they do.

It is rare for a couple to meet, fall in love, marry, and parent their children the exact same way. It is even more uncommon in stepfamilies.

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.

What makes a man marriage material? In my own search, I’ve kept a list of nonnegotiables—most revolve around Christlike character.

Romance easily gets pushed out when we’re juggling the overwhelming emotions and hard-to-navigate circumstances in a blended family.

I began to see how God would use my broken engagement when I stopped fighting for control. He wanted to grow me through it.

Among the hectic schedules and between-home dilemmas, stepfamilies can have fun memory-filled holidays, too. It just takes some extra work.

Holiday seasons aren’t always merry for blended families. The season can resurrect grief from divorce, death, or another tragedy.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Being a stepdad on Father’s Day can be a tricky, often overlooked, role. But here are a few ways to show your appreciation.

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?

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?

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.

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.

The effort to lump stepfamilies at church with biological families may have noble motivations. But it often leaves stepfamilies feeling unloved and unseen.

Most people mistakenly believe remarrying in the empty nest years is easier. But this union brings its own unique struggles.

Many blended family weddings incorporate a ceremony called “blending of the sands.” But in reality it does not mean they have obtained “familyness.”

Rejection in blended families hurts and is discouraging. What is needed is the resolve to keep going and a few helpful tools.

Advice on seeing both the stepmom’s and biological mom’s perspectives.

Blended family couples avoid many problems when they communicate and discuss money matters mutually.

These practical strategies will give you tools for a peaceful and effective interchange.

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.

There is endless capacity for a loving relationship between a stepdad and his stepchildren.

When you must decide between siding with your child or your spouse in a blended family, choose your spouse.

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.

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.

Three ways I’ve helped my stepfamily grieve the deaths of both previous spouses.

From widow and single mother to second wife and stepmom, my soul suffered an identity crisis.

Ten ideas that helped (or would have helped) my family during our first blended year.

Divorce rates aren’t really as bad as the academics were implying.

A new marriage requires learning different forms of affection, communication, traditions, and expectations.

Jesus told us to love our neighbors as ourselves, but that requires first knowing who we are in Christ.

Strengthen bonds between kids and stepparents by going on a trip that doesn’t fit into the status quo.

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.

Three helpful hints I use to navigate the holidays in my blended family.

At Christmas, decisions for an adult child of divorce become especially difficult, with both parents vying for your loyalty and attention.

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.

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.

As a stepgrandparent, you can be an important and influential role in the family with a little grace and wisdom.

Biological parents who find themselves caught between their spouse and their child should step out of the conflict as often as possible.

I like to use cooking as an analogy to identify some integration styles that stepfamilies attempt to utilize.

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

Adolescence is a natural time of turmoil in nearly every family.

One of the most menacing dynamics attacking the health of a stepfamily is a destructive parent in the other home.

When you have a new marriage and blended family, it's important to build a respectful working relationship with your ex.

If you are planning to have an ours baby, here are some suggestions to consider for preparation.

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

Challenges every single parent should consider before deciding to remarry.

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

Practical suggestions for stepmoms.

Every time David successfully put off another conflict, he stored up resentment toward his wife or stepchildren for “controlling him.”

Blended families live in a different land than first-families.

She did her best to turn our four sons and small community against me.

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.

Many couples think that their blended family will flow and function like a biological family, only with different people involved.

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

When one of the two partners feels like an outsider, it doesn't just affect the family dynamics.

Stepfamilies are hard no matter what your circumstances were before remarriage. Here are seven practical steps for healthy relationships.

Your special needs stepfamily can find peace and stability with time and the right tools and perspective.

For stepfamilies, family meetings can build much needed family traditions, create memories, and establish a working family identity.

Many couples travel to the “foreign country” of stepfamily living with little or no preparation.

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?

Despite doing all the right things in seemingly right circumstances, Rob and Rhonda Bugh struggled to make their remarriage work.

The simple events of everyday life can create hurt feelings and anger that send blended families down the road to isolation.

A list of 34 questions to ask before the wedding.

The terms used to define and describe the blended family experience vary from person to person.

When you combine the practical challenges of money management with the complications of stepfamily living, money issues become volatile.

Helping adult stepchildren transition into a stepfamily

Christian stepfamily adults are often caught in a holding pattern around God and His church, unable to touch down in His love.

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.

If churches are going to remain strong, they must intentionally work to build smart stepfamilies.

FamilyLife Blended™ is passionate about helping stepfamilies succeed.

The core method of stepfamily ministry is starting a class or small group of couples who come together to study and support one another.

I’m convinced that God uses the stepfamily experience to teach His children about choosing love.

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?

Everyone agreed that stepparents should be acknowledged, but doing so was often awkward for the entire family.

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.

Discover your relational strengths and identify areas where you can grow in your marriage relationship.

Kyle and Jamie Soucie had been married before. This time, they figured, things would work out “happily ever after.”

Even after we were divorced, my husband pursued me.

When Darryl Smith began calling his ex-wife Gwen, she just laughed. "You got me once. You won't get me twice."

Chip and Jan Winnard were like "two people trying to glue themselves together without the glue.”

Developing a good relationship with a spouse and a stepchild

Stepfamilies are especially vulnerable to parental favoritism

You cannot afford to be a vanishing father to your biological children.

Sharing experiences of Mother’s Day.

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.

Issues for second-half stepfamilies to consider.

Making assumptions about your spouse’s thoughts, feelings, and motives is a risky endeavor.

The difference between premarried hope and stepfamily reality

When you and your ex-spouse fight, it's your children who suffer.

How do you deal with a child who is sharing private information with an ex?

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.

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.

How stepfamilies can curb conflict and tension during the Christmas season.

The Couple Checkup offers couples a checkup on the health of their marriage.

With healthy expectations and a specific strategy to build a relationship, a satisfying bond can be nurtured.

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.

If they work together, divorced parents can help their children adjust to differences between homes.

As I considered remarriage, I was scared of the work it would take to blend these two families.

The normal stress of the holidays is multiplied for stepfamilies.

Stepchildren often feel caught between their biological parents.

What to do when remarriage destabilizes a child’s world.

The difficulty of seeking the respect and acceptance of a stepchild.

The first two years of stepparent-stepchild relationships tend to be tense and stressful for everyone.

Stepparents must develop a secure bond with their stepchildren.

A delicate balancing act for blended families.

Remember Hebrews 12:2 as you look forward to a future payoff for your parenting efforts.

Problems arise when a biological parent continually tries to guide, guard, and direct the stepparent’s every step.

Divorced parents who fight with each other are trampling on their most prized possession—their children who have to live in both homes

Finding an effective stepparent role is a challenge.

Improving your relationship is a challenge, so be intentional.

Sarah and Michelle alike found themselves jealous of their stepchildren.

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.

Learning to put away childishness when dealing with a previous spouse.

Though stepfamilies may look like traditional nuclear families on the outside, the dynamics on the inside are very different.

The spiritual struggle of many Christian stepfamily adults.

Suggestions from experienced stepfathers on conquering Stepdad Mountain.

You must understand the challenges of stepfamily living in order to make an informed choice about remarriage.