STEPMOM

Sounds like a strange phrase “to ex”… but perhaps we should be thinking of “ex” as a verb.  A way of being in the “extended family” that includes your children’s other parent and his  partner.  Your child or children are now in a stepfamily, and now you are “the ex” in that extended family.  You [...]

Barbara Bruce hosts a weekly radio show for the White Mountains, AZ area and also for greater Phoenix AZ, called “Believe”.  Here’s how she describes it:
I focus on health, mental and physical, on the spiritual and on success. The best way to show others these principles is to bring on people who espouse [...]

Susan Swanson is the founder of the Stepfamily Center, which serves the Los Angeles and Beverly Hills area.   She is a stepfamily therapist, and stepmom and mom herself.  Susan  hosts a superb, informative weekly radio show for stepfamily members.  Joan Sarin, MS was the guest on the show, and here’s [...]

Barbara Bruce is a well-known radio personality in the White Mountains, Arizona.  She hosts a variety of shows, including “The Cutting Edge”, which has a reach into The White Mountain area as well as greater Phoenix AZ.  Today the show airs on NewsTalk 970 KVWM and 1270 KDJI. It focuses on national, state and local [...]

Susan Swanson is the founder of the Stepfamily Center, which serves the Los Angeles and Beverly Hills area.   She is a stepfamily therapist, and stepmom and mom herself.  Susan  hosts a superb, informative weekly radio show for stepfamily members.  Joan Sarin, MS was the guest on the show, and here’s the link:
Tuesday, Dec. 08, [...]

The “You Are Not My Mother” contest has concluded, and I’d like to congratulate the two winners:
Sherie Touchatt Cooper and Dawn Thomason! If you didn’t win and you have little ones, you’ll want this book for yourself too!  It’s available from Amazon; just click here.  The book will help you to deal in [...]

Every stepmom has heard it, more than once: “You Are Not My Mother”. Dawn Yonally, PhD has written a delightful book, geared toward the 6-8 year old crowd, addressing this issue. She takes a humorous and disarming approach, and it is a valuable book to own and share with your young ones.
It’s [...]

In the range of relationships in stepfamilies, the stepfather stepson relationship does not have a reputation of being one of the most difficult – if it’s handled correctly! If you are a stepfather wanting to develop a good stepfather stepson relationship, here are some good questions to ask yourself:

What is the relationship between [...]

I’m excited to report that I’m now the AZ Chapter Leader for the National Stepfamily Day Foundation. I’ll be the liaison and contact person for the media here, and for an event to celebrate and recognize stepfamilies (National Stepfamily Day is September 16 – we’ll plan an event for the following weekend).
On [...]

I hope you’ll read my article in Stepmom Magazine, which was released today as the June issue.
It takes a look at both sides of the controversy, as to whether the stepparent is a parent or not.  Seems to me that, well – it depends.  And I go over that in detail in the article. 
By [...]