STEPMOM

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 Stepfamily Day, [...]

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.  [...]

On Mother’s Day, I woke up to a sweet e-card from my stepdaughter – a silly, European-style card filled with moving happy-faces.  It meant alot to me, especially because she’s in Spain (where I’m not sure Mother’s Day is celebrated – so it surprised me she remembered).  Also, she’s on a bike tour without her [...]

I was a guest today on Susan Swanson’s radio show Susan Swanson on Step, and we discussed the importance of EMPATHY in the stepfamily.   Unfortunately, each of us gets caught up in our own experience, and has a tendency to make assumptions about the motivations of the others in the family situation.  If you missed [...]

Please go to the fan page (click on the link at top right) to see the entry for The Stepfamily Diaries; the child going into a new stepfamily has a very different perspective from the parent! This stepfamily has a happy ending, as everyone adjusted well and gets along fine (but it took years for [...]

Please be sure to read the article on The Stepfamily Drama, as Seen From the Upper Balcony, in Stepmom Magazine’s April Issue!  There’s so much of value in this issue, by many of the top experts and authors in the field of stepfamily relations.  I am honored to be a regular contributor of this highly [...]

I wanted to let you know that a new book – Courageous Parents, Confident Kids – Letting Go So You Both Can Grow, will be released on April 19 and my friend and colleague, Amy McCready, wants to make a free copy available to my readers. Mojo Mom author, Dr. Amy Tiemann brought together 14 [...]

As I am publishing this post, the Ask the Experts Forum in Stepmom Magazine’s Facebook Fan Page is just concluding.  It was really valuable, as we heard from stepmoms with difficulties in many areas, and the experts gave such wise and helpful counsel.  If you missed it, you can still learn and get a lot [...]

I hope you’ll join us with all your questions about stepfamily living!  I am honored to be on a panel with some very highly regarded experts in the stepfamily field, on Wednesday March 24 from 11am-6pm EST.  It will be hosted by StepmomMag, and you can get to it by going to the Facebook Page [...]

The stepmom’s role was covered in last night’s class in a depth that hit a couple of the stepmoms right between the eyes. One of them commented: “Just wanted to thank you for last nights class. It was very validating and affirming. I have experienced and learned alot of on the job dynamics of stepmoms [...]