Stop, look and listen
in your stepfamily
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| image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net |
Take time to notice how well your step kids and you are
getting along, and how well you know and appreciate each other. Listen. Is
there laughter in your step family household? Do you hear conversation that
indicates considerate and caring personal interest in other family members? Is
there spontaneous group activity or discussion? Is your relationship with your
bio kids thriving? Do you spend enough one-on-one time with them?
Blended family
meetings
Blended family meetings are a great way to review events of
the summer, recognize milestones and celebrate accomplishments. They are also
an excellent opportunity to perform a review of the rules of the household and
have discussions about how they might be improved. As blended family members
grow and develop new interests and obligations, so do needs and expectations.
What is negotiable in
a blended family?
Like many issues in our lives, some blended family issues
are fixed and not open to discussion; such as your blended family requirement
that everyone be treated with consideration and respect. Other issues that
remain constant might refer to the parental management partnership which runs each
blended family household; step kids are always expected to respond to the
advice or reprimands of a step parent in the same way they would respond to
their own bio parent. Some values are non-negotiable.
If you need any additional assistance, check out the
resources at The Blended and Step Family Resource Center.
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