Don’t Be Defensive
To be a good team, when you make an observation that could be helpful, share it. Not in a condemning fashion but in a constructive way. This might be delicate but healthy parents give each other permission to speak gently into one another's lives so they can raise godly kids. Here's the trap for stepfamily couples to avoid: to the biological parent advice can feel like criticism of their child and to the stepparent it can feel like rejection or distrust. Don't get defensive. Help each other.
Show Notes
About the Guest
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To be a good team, when you make an observation that could be helpful, share it. Not in a condemning fashion but in a constructive way. This might be delicate but healthy parents give each other permission to speak gently into one another's lives so they can raise godly kids. Here's the trap for stepfamily couples to avoid: to the biological parent advice can feel like criticism of their child and to the stepparent it can feel like rejection or distrust. Don't get defensive. Help each other.
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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), The Smart Stepfamily: 7 Steps to a Healthy Family, and ...more
Really good parents give each other advice.
Ron: Really good parents—give each other advice.
Announcer: For FamilyLife Blended®, here’s Ron Deal.
Ron: Yeah, to be a good team, when one of you makes an observation that could help the other parent, share it. Not in a condemning fashion but in a constructive way. Sometimes this can be delicate but healthy parents give each other permission to speak gently into one another’s lives. Why? So, they can raise godly kids.
Now here’s the trap for stepfamily couples to avoid: to the biological parent advice can feel like criticism of their child and to the stepparent it can feel like rejection or distrust. Hey, both of you—don’t get defensive. Help each other. That’s what great parents do. For FamilyLife Blended®, I’m Ron Deal.
Announcer: To find out more visit familylifeblended.com.
FamilyLife Blended with Ron Deal is a production of FamilyLife.
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