Different Parenting Styles
March 18, 2019Isabella said one hard thing for her growing up in a blended family was the difference in parenting styles. Her mom was a disciplinarian with tight boundaries, but her dad let her and her siblings do whatever they wanted. They'd go back to mom's house and think, "Oh, I can't do that here." Having different rules is confusing. It invites kids to play the game and manipulate the system rather than learn the lessons the rules were meant to teach. Parenting in complex families requires cooperation.
Isabella said one hard thing for her growing up in a blended family was the difference in parenting styles. Her mom was a disciplinarian with tight boundaries, but her dad let her and her siblings do whatever they wanted. They'd go back to mom's house and think, "Oh, I can't do that here." Having different rules is confusing. It invites kids to play the game and manipulate the system rather than learn the lessons the rules were meant to teach. Parenting in complex families requires cooperation.
FamilyLife Blended® Minute
In this 60 second short feature, Ron Deal delivers a daily word of encouragement for those in stepfamilies and those who know them—which is a whole lot of us today. A relevant, real-world outlook with a biblical perspective.
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Ron Deal
Ron L. Deal is one of the most widely read and viewed experts on blended families in the country. He is Director of FamilyLife Blended® for FamilyLife®, founder of Smart Stepfamilies™, and the author and Consulting Editor of the Smart Stepfamily Series of books including the bestselling Building Love Together in Blended Families: The 5 Love Languages ® and Becoming Stepfamily Smart with Dr. Gary Chapman and The Smart Stepfamily: 7 Steps to a Healthy Family . R...more
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