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.

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…

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…

“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!…

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…

“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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Carol, a mother with an Autism Spectrum/Autism Spectrum Disorder (AS/ASD) child, could easily describe how hard being a single parent was. She prayed for years for a loving husband to…

Daniel and his wife of two years, Sonja, each brought two children into their marriage. Sonja pointed out to Daniel that each time his ex-wife disappointed his oldest daughter, Cassandra,…

There are many unique stepfamily dynamics that surround couples in blended families. I like to call them “familyness factors.” And there are also dynamics between the couple which are extremely…

Corporations have strategy meetings on a regular basis. Department heads, supervisors, and managers get together to discuss current production goals, sales reports, and marketing efforts. The purpose behind such meetings…

Few things are more challenging than the role of Christian stepparent.  In short, the stepparent joins the biological parent in raising his or her child, but does so initially without…

There are a few unwritten codes of conduct common among most families. One is that family members don’t share unflattering or personal information with outsiders. You don’t talk about dad’s…