Stepparenting: Role With the Changes
A biological parent's role changes over time. As a child matures we shift from telling young children, to teaching adolescents, to delegating or coaching young adults. A stepparent's role might shift from being a babysitter to being an aunt or uncle, to being a bonus parent. Later life stepparents likely start and finish in a friend or mentor role with their adult stepchildren. How your role changes depends on a lot and it can be confusing. Let us help with the changing roles of stepparenting.
Show Notes
About the Host
About the Guest
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A biological parent's role changes over time. As a child matures we shift from telling young children, to teaching adolescents, to delegating or coaching young adults. A stepparent's role might shift from being a babysitter to being an aunt or uncle, to being a bonus parent. Later life stepparents likely start and finish in a friend or mentor role with their adult stepchildren. How your role changes depends on a lot and it can be confusing. Let us help with the changing roles of stepparenting.
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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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Parents, you’ve got to role with the changes.
Ron: Parents, you’ve got to role with the changes.
Announcer: For FamilyLife Blended®, here’s Ron Deal.
Ron: A biological parent’s role changes over time. As a child matures we shift from telling young children, to teaching adolescents, to delegating or coaching young adults. A stepparent’s role might shift from being a babysitter (who lives on borrowed power) to being an aunt or uncle (who is like a trusted family member), to being a bonus parent (who has lots of relational equity and the authority that comes with it). Now later life stepparents likely start and finish in a friend or mentor role with their adult stepchildren.
How your role changes depends on a lot of things and it can be confusing. Let us help you roll with the changing roles of stepparenting. For FamilyLife Blended I’m Ron Deal.
Announcer: To find out more visit familylifeblended.com.
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