At the tender age of 4 or 5, my small world suddenly included a new character – my stepmother. What my father had hoped would be a seamless blending of families turned out to be anything but. I can still vividly remember
So, you’ve started dating a guy who has children with his ex. Evidently, you want your stepmum journey to be as plain sailing as possible, and this means attempting to get along with your stepchildren and even your partner’s ex. Now, when
This is the time of year with plenty of gatherings for friends and family that create opportunities for fun and frivolity. A time to celebrate, share, give and receive. It’s joyous and magical. But for some, it shines a spot light on
Boundaries with the stepkids is part 4 of a series of articles by Erin Careless on the Stepmom’s Guide to Peace. Click here for Boundaries with the Stepfamily, Boundaries with the Man and Boundaries with ex-wife A lot of stepmoms go overboard trying to “win the
Boundaries with the ex-wife is part 3 of a series of articles by Erin Careless on the Stepmom’s Guide to Peace. Click here for Boundaries with the Stepfamily and Boundaries with the Man. This is a tricky one. Experiences with the
Boundaries with the man is part 2 of a series of articles by Erin Careless on The Stepmom’s Guide to Peace. Click here for Boundaries with the Stepfamily which is Part 1. I know what you’re thinking. People in love shouldn’t have boundaries!
When you arrive at work, do you greet your boss with a kiss on the lips? Do you invite the grocery store clerk to family dinner at your house? Do you complain about period pain to the FedEx guy delivering your Downton
As the year comes to a close we often reflect on how the last year went. Did it all go according to plan? Did it meet your expectations? Did you accomplish all that you had set out to do? Did you meet your
In my last article, Stepparenting from the step-child’s perspective, I shared a perspective on the loss and grief of a child going through their parent’s divorce and what those behaviours look like. An important piece to keep in mind about the grief cycle
We all can agree that step-parenting is hard. And sometimes we have a really hard time loving the stepkids or even liking them. But I want to shed a little light on loss and grief for kids. This may partially explain why
She isn’t playing house with your child and your ex-husband. Stepmoms are trying to build their own family, a very real family that includes their husband, and children who aren’t theirs. Some of them will grow to love their stepchildren and some
A few weeks ago I attended a silent auction fundraiser with two lovely ladies who also happen to be stepmoms (yes, we ARE everywhere). Conversation moved easily from work to travel to husbands to how much we spend on our hair. Toward