Positional & Relational Authority
Positional authority is what empowers a babysitter to tell the kids to pick up their toys. Relational authority is what a parent or grandparent has. They have an emotional bond with the child so the child obeys out of love and respect. Stepparents start with positional authority but can move towards relational authority over time. Work with the biological parent to decide rules and consequences but let the biological parent handle the discipline. Work together and play to your strengths.
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About the Guest
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Positional authority is what empowers a babysitter to tell the kids to pick up their toys. Relational authority is what a parent or grandparent has. They have an emotional bond with the child so the child obeys out of love and respect. Stepparents start with positional authority but can move towards relational authority over time. Work with the biological parent to decide rules and consequences but let the biological parent handle the discipline. Work together and play to your strengths.
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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 Preparing to Blend. Ron is a licensed marriage and family therapist, popular conference speaker, and host of the FamilyLife Blended podcast. He and his wife, Nan, have three sons and live in Little Rock, Arkansas. Learn more at FamilyLife.com/blended.
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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
Hey stepparents, do you have positional authority or relational authority?
