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Campaigning For Attention in the Blended Family: New Spouse vs. Children

Let’s address what happens when the ones campaigning for attention of a certain parent are a child–and the new spouse. Look, let’s face it. Your child has very little cause to be invested in your new marriage. Either he’d like… Continue Reading

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The Step-Siblings

To start your proactive work on preventing rivalry for a parent’s attention between siblings or between children and a new spouse, I recommend that you as the parent and step-parent consciously partition your home time into four parts: time with… Continue Reading

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Blended Families–Instruction Sheet, continued

Lessons 1-7 are in the the post below, Blended Families–Part III. 8. Avoid areas staked out by the child’s own parent. If your step-son says, “Dad says he’ll teach me to sail,” don’t run out to the nearest shipyard. 9.… Continue Reading

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Parenting Your Own Children When You Remarry

Let’s start with: Lessons for Parenting Your Own Children When You Remarry. 1. Work to reduce your children’s feelings of loss as they share you with your new partner–and perhaps other childen. Work to do this by continuing to spend… Continue Reading

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A New (Blended) Family Bill of Rights

According to Virginia Woolf, for a woman to succeed in her ambition to write fiction, she “must have money and a room of her own.” Granted your little one may not be attempting to compose the Great American [or in… Continue Reading

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Blended Families–Instruction Sheet

So, some lessons for the step-parent: (Some of these thoughts are based on How to Win as  Step-Family by Visher and Visher.) 1. Don’t come on too strong, overwhelming step-children and setting up expectations you can’t meet. Hold back and let your… Continue Reading