by Gayla | Jan 16, 2013 | acceptance, Blog, Change, conflict, stepfamily relationships
I was recently talking to a stepmom who’s struggling in her role with her stepdaughter. In hearing some history of the relationship, I could see the normal progression that often happens in stepfamilies with various stages of integration. How a stepfamily...
by Gayla | Nov 7, 2012 | attitude, Blog, co-parenting, conflict, stepfamily holiday tips
Taken from our e-book, “Unwrapping the Gift of Stepfamily Peace,” I want to share some thoughts on how to make co-parenting work. Our son, Nathan, hangs with a friend whose parents are divorced. Nathan came back from a birthday party, talking about...
by Gayla | Oct 2, 2012 | Blog, conflict, expectations, Faith, feelings, stepparenting heartache, Uncategorized
I sent my son to bed last night with consequences for his lack of obedience on a homework issue. He wasn’t happy with me and barely said good night as I left his room. But as his mom, seeking to raise a responsible young man, I knew I needed to address the...
by Gayla | Sep 5, 2012 | Blog, conflict, feelings, successful stepparenting, Uncategorized
As I felt my heart begin to race, I knew I had to settle down before I said something I shouldn’t. I said a quick prayer to calm my soul and ask for guidance. My anger was boiling. And I wasn’t sure how to proceed with the conversation. I was in a heated...
by Gayla | May 14, 2012 | Blog, conflict, Faith, Fear, perseverance, stepfamily relationships
Over the week-end, we braved severe storms with damaging tornadoes in Central Arkansas. My family and I retreated to our “fraidy hole” more than once to seek protection from our frightful surroundings. As I listened to the blare of tornado sirens and...
by Gayla | Mar 13, 2012 | Blog, boundaries, conflict, stepfamily relationships, take care of yourself
As I was listening to my friend complain about the disrespectful behavior from her stepson, I couldn’t help but think, “Why haven’t you established some boundaries that would allow you to take care of yourself instead of putting up with his...
by Gayla | Sep 14, 2011 | Birth order effects, Blog, boundaries, co-parenting, conflict
In my post last week on boundaries, I said I would post about creating healthy boundaries with your ex-spouse. So I’m re-posting from a previous blog post that gives some examples of what healthy boundaries look like. These boundaries...
by Gayla | Mar 28, 2011 | Blog, conflict, patience, stepfamily relationships, successful stepparenting
My daughter just returned from a cross country Spring Break trip with six other girls who go to college together. Toward the end of the week, the girls started having conflict and one girl began manipulating the others with rude comments to get her...
by Gayla | Mar 10, 2011 | attitude, Blog, boundaries, conflict, Grace, love, take care of yourself
Angry. Humiliated. Disgruntled. I left our church choir rehearsal with a flood of emotions circulating through my mind. As a piano accompanist, I had been belittled in front of the choir. It wasn’t the first time it had happened but I vowed it would be the last....
by Gayla | Dec 30, 2010 | Blog, conflict, perseverance, stepfamily relationships, stepparenting choices
The holidays seem to involve more drama than usual for stepfamilies. In my last post, I shared some of our family’s drama this Christmas and gave a few suggestions on how to cope with it. Today, I offer a few more ideas:1. Stay out of the middle, when...
by Gayla | Dec 27, 2010 | Blog, conflict, stepfamily holiday tips, stepfamily relationships
I wish I could say that Christmas with our five kids together was perfect this year. I had been looking forward to having everyone home for several days and savoring the moments together as a family.But, unfortunately, much of the time spent...
by Gayla | Dec 6, 2010 | attitude, Blog, conflict, stepfamily holiday tips, successful stepparenting
The Serenity PrayerGod grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know thedifference. I can list dozens of circumstances within our stepfamily I wish I could change. Instead I seek to accept difficult...