Blended Family Vacations – How to be Successful
August 2, 2010 by Cathy Meyer
Filed under Blended & Changing Families, Children & Divorce, Coping, Family, Holidays, Parenting, Relationships, Single Dads, Single Moms
Submitted by Shirley Cress Dudley You and your new spouse/boyfriend are wondering what to do about a vacation… Do you have the fantastic idea of taking your newly blended family on a three-week car ride all around the United States? Uh oh… maybe you haven’t thought this through. Your spouse/boyfriend is asking if maybe we [...]
Top Ten Signs You Have A Successful Blended Family
July 19, 2010 by Cathy Meyer
Filed under Blended & Changing Families, Family, Parenting, Relationships
Submitted by Shirley Cress Dudley 1- You and your spouse have clear house rules that apply to all blended family members Yes, this means that house rules don’t change when you are tired, or your spouse is out of town. Both biological children and stepchildren all follow the same rules. It really does help when [...]
Guidelines For a Smoother Divorce
July 5, 2010 by Cathy Meyer
Filed under Children & Divorce, Family, The Ex
Submitted by Shirley Cress Dudley 1- Keep contact to a minimum. One phone call a day is excessive, several text messages a day is extremely excessive. If you have a subject related to the kids- speak briefly and clearly about your expectations. Emails are better than phone calls, if your issue is not an emergency. [...]
Discipline In The Blended Family
June 2, 2010 by Cathy Meyer
Filed under Blended & Changing Families, Family, Parenting, Relationships
Submitted by Shirley Cress Dudley Frequently, people ask me if their disciplinary methods should be different in a blended family. Your kids have been through the separation of their parents…then a divorce…and now a new marriage/cohabilation arrangement that comes with a blended family. You wonder, shouldn’t I just give my kids a break and loosen up [...]
Why Did My Dad (or Mom) Remarry and Get a Step Family?
May 25, 2010 by Cathy Meyer
Filed under Blended & Changing Families, Children & Divorce, Family, Relationships
Submitted by Shirley Cress Dudley It’s tough for kids to understand why parents get divorced, and even harder to understand why they remarry and have a blended or step family. Here are some talking points for you to discuss this difficult topic with your kids. You may need to revise some of the answers, based [...]
Surviving the First 90 Days in a Blended Family
May 14, 2010 by Cathy Meyer
Filed under Blended & Changing Families, Family, Parenting, Relationships
Submitted by professional counselor, Shirley Cress Dudley No Less Love Remind everyone, at least daily, that there is no less love in a blended family. Everyone who was a valued family member before the “merge” is still a valued family member. Each loved member of the family is still loved. A blended family provides the [...]
