Secrets to Stepfamily Success

Secrets to Stepfamily Success

Author: Gloria Lintermans

Publisher: Gloria Lintermans

Published: 2010-06

Total Pages: 314

ISBN-13: 1605944181

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THE SECRETS TO STEPFAMILY SUCCESS offers tools that can significantly lower the alarming 70% rate of step and blended family divorce, helping families evolve into highly nurturing, reliable refuges of warmth, safety, encouragement, strength, caring, and joy. Step and blended families have a unique dynamic with which couples must cope, along with all the other normal challenges of life and marriage. See how these families differ in up to sixty structural and dynamic ways from typical intact biological families--including consisting of two co-parenting homes and ex-spouses--and learn how to successfully recognize and manage these challenges. For most couples, trying to build a successful remarriage can mysteriously bring out their deepest personal fears, longings, shames, and hopes. The key to not only survival, but living this journey well, begins with discovering opportunities to heal and to succeed; it is not about blame or badness. With the right preparation and resources, a multi-home step or blended family can be a stable and solid foundation for co-parents and children. Gloria Lintermans is the author of THE HEALING POWER OF GRIEF: The Journey Through Loss to Life and Laughter, THE HEALING POWER OF LOVE: Transcending the Loss of a Spouse to New Love, THE NEWLY DIVORCED BOOK OF PROTOCOL: How to Be Civil When You Hate Their Guts, and RETCO CHIC: A Guide to Fabulous Vintage and Designer Resale Shopping in North America & Online. Her articles have appeared in local and national magazines, and she is a retired newspaper columnist whose column has been syndicated in English and Spanish language newspapers worldwide.


Book Synopsis Secrets to Stepfamily Success by : Gloria Lintermans

Download or read book Secrets to Stepfamily Success written by Gloria Lintermans and published by Gloria Lintermans. This book was released on 2010-06 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE SECRETS TO STEPFAMILY SUCCESS offers tools that can significantly lower the alarming 70% rate of step and blended family divorce, helping families evolve into highly nurturing, reliable refuges of warmth, safety, encouragement, strength, caring, and joy. Step and blended families have a unique dynamic with which couples must cope, along with all the other normal challenges of life and marriage. See how these families differ in up to sixty structural and dynamic ways from typical intact biological families--including consisting of two co-parenting homes and ex-spouses--and learn how to successfully recognize and manage these challenges. For most couples, trying to build a successful remarriage can mysteriously bring out their deepest personal fears, longings, shames, and hopes. The key to not only survival, but living this journey well, begins with discovering opportunities to heal and to succeed; it is not about blame or badness. With the right preparation and resources, a multi-home step or blended family can be a stable and solid foundation for co-parents and children. Gloria Lintermans is the author of THE HEALING POWER OF GRIEF: The Journey Through Loss to Life and Laughter, THE HEALING POWER OF LOVE: Transcending the Loss of a Spouse to New Love, THE NEWLY DIVORCED BOOK OF PROTOCOL: How to Be Civil When You Hate Their Guts, and RETCO CHIC: A Guide to Fabulous Vintage and Designer Resale Shopping in North America & Online. Her articles have appeared in local and national magazines, and she is a retired newspaper columnist whose column has been syndicated in English and Spanish language newspapers worldwide.

Blending Families

Blending Families

Author: Jimmy Evans

Publisher:

Published: 2015-07-07

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9780578176727

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In Blending Families, we brought together eighteen of the most successful stepfamilies we could find in order to create a hands-on, practical, and biblical set of resources on navigating the challenges that blended families face. These eighteen couples have already navigated the waters that most stepfamilies deal with on a daily basis, and have come out the other side happy, healthy, and intact. They learned to turn challenges into opportunities for growth, and they can help you do the same!


Book Synopsis Blending Families by : Jimmy Evans

Download or read book Blending Families written by Jimmy Evans and published by . This book was released on 2015-07-07 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Blending Families, we brought together eighteen of the most successful stepfamilies we could find in order to create a hands-on, practical, and biblical set of resources on navigating the challenges that blended families face. These eighteen couples have already navigated the waters that most stepfamilies deal with on a daily basis, and have come out the other side happy, healthy, and intact. They learned to turn challenges into opportunities for growth, and they can help you do the same!

Remarried with Children

Remarried with Children

Author: Barbara LeBey

Publisher: Bantam

Published: 2005-10-25

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 0553382004

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It's the most daunting task many parents will ever face: bringing two growing families together into one brand new marriage. But even though statistics show that most remarriages are at high risk--especially when there are kids involved--more and more people are learning how to make them work and more and more kids are coming out of them with their psyches and souls intact. This honest and hopeful book looks at those successes--and at some failures--to show what they have in common: ten essential secrets that are at the heart of a healthy blended family. As a stepparent with six children in a blended family, Barbara LeBey draws on her own family's hard-won success, as well as on extensive interviews and new research to show how to navigate the stresses, sticking points, pitfalls and perils most couples don't even anticipate. Starting with her first controversial secret--that the new marriage comes first, even before the demands of the children--LeBey debunks prevalent stepfamily myths and anticipates common traps. (Among them, money issues, warring stepsiblings, and destructive exes.) A strong advocate for children (including how to guard against fade-out parenting), she also suggests ways that in-laws, schools, and the legal system itself could provide better support for blended families. REmarried with Children is an expert, compassionate, down-to-earth book to turn to over and over again for advice, support and sanity. Key topics include how to: -Meet your children's and stepchildren's needs--without letting them undermine your new marriage -Understand the new roles, new rules, and the new relationships for children and stepchildren of a blended family -Deal with angry and/or manipulative exes--without adding fuel to the fire -Handle key decisions about finances, religion, traditions, behavior and discipline -Maintain healthy relationships with your children's grandparents--and other relatives--from a previous marriage -Recognize warning signs of trouble ahead--and get the help you need


Book Synopsis Remarried with Children by : Barbara LeBey

Download or read book Remarried with Children written by Barbara LeBey and published by Bantam. This book was released on 2005-10-25 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It's the most daunting task many parents will ever face: bringing two growing families together into one brand new marriage. But even though statistics show that most remarriages are at high risk--especially when there are kids involved--more and more people are learning how to make them work and more and more kids are coming out of them with their psyches and souls intact. This honest and hopeful book looks at those successes--and at some failures--to show what they have in common: ten essential secrets that are at the heart of a healthy blended family. As a stepparent with six children in a blended family, Barbara LeBey draws on her own family's hard-won success, as well as on extensive interviews and new research to show how to navigate the stresses, sticking points, pitfalls and perils most couples don't even anticipate. Starting with her first controversial secret--that the new marriage comes first, even before the demands of the children--LeBey debunks prevalent stepfamily myths and anticipates common traps. (Among them, money issues, warring stepsiblings, and destructive exes.) A strong advocate for children (including how to guard against fade-out parenting), she also suggests ways that in-laws, schools, and the legal system itself could provide better support for blended families. REmarried with Children is an expert, compassionate, down-to-earth book to turn to over and over again for advice, support and sanity. Key topics include how to: -Meet your children's and stepchildren's needs--without letting them undermine your new marriage -Understand the new roles, new rules, and the new relationships for children and stepchildren of a blended family -Deal with angry and/or manipulative exes--without adding fuel to the fire -Handle key decisions about finances, religion, traditions, behavior and discipline -Maintain healthy relationships with your children's grandparents--and other relatives--from a previous marriage -Recognize warning signs of trouble ahead--and get the help you need

Stepfamilies

Stepfamilies

Author: James H. Bray

Publisher: Crown

Published: 2011-08-17

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 0307803635

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Based on a landmark longitudinal study, the nation's leading expert on stepfamilies reveals his breakthrough findings and offers the first detailed guide to easing the conflicts of stepfamily life and healing the scars of divorce. There are more than twenty million stepfamilies in America. For most of them, the simple, daily issues that challenge every family are even more anxiety-provoking. After conducting a comprehensive nine-year-long study funded by the National Institutes of Health, Dr. James H. Bray has written an invaluable book that explains why over half of all stepfamilies fail and reveals the strategies that help the others succeed. A stepfamily is assaulted on all sides by difficult and often divisive questions. How much control should a stepparent have over a stepchild? How much authority should a nonresidential parent exert over a child? How should a difficult former spouse be handled? How does an "ours" baby change the emotional dynamic in a stepfamily? Why is there a lack of "honeymoon effect" during the first years of stepfamily life? The purpose of Stepfamilies is to answer all the important questions of stepfamily life--to fill in the knowledge gaps that undermine so many stepfamilies today and, crucially, to learn the effect of stepfamily life on children. Based on one of the largest and longest studies of stepfamily life ever conducted, Stepfamilies interweaves the stories of real families to illustrate such study findings as how: a stepfamily has its own natural life cycle a stepfamily takes several years to develop into a family unit a stepfamily is at greatest risk during the first two years a stepfamily ultimately coalesces into one of three forms a stepfamily must solve four basic tasks in order to succeed a stepfamily can help heal the scars of divorce Filled with emotional, gripping stories, Bray's findings pinpoint the three major transitions in stepfamily life and identify the riskiest issues that can throw a family into crisis. Bray is the first to identify the several distinct forms that stepfamilies take and to explore which types of stepfamilies are more vulnerable than others and why. He also describes the natural life cycle of stepfamilies and basic tasks all stepfamilies must undertake to succeed. With a wealth of insight into the positive effects of remarriage, Bray shows how a loving, well-functioning stepfamily can lessen the trauma of divorce and restore a child's and family's sense of security. Most stepparents remarry with the highest hopes and new resolutions for a better life. Never before have their unique needs been addressed in depth. Through insightful case studies and practical advice, Stepfamilies reveals how a strong, stable stepfamily is as capable as a nuclear family of nurturing healthy development, of imbuing values, of setting limits and boundaries, and of providing a structure in which rules for living a moral and productive life are transmitted, tested, rebelled against, and ultimately affirmed. Bray's positive message and fascinating findings--many of which defy intuition--will put stepfamilies on the road to lifelong harmony.


Book Synopsis Stepfamilies by : James H. Bray

Download or read book Stepfamilies written by James H. Bray and published by Crown. This book was released on 2011-08-17 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on a landmark longitudinal study, the nation's leading expert on stepfamilies reveals his breakthrough findings and offers the first detailed guide to easing the conflicts of stepfamily life and healing the scars of divorce. There are more than twenty million stepfamilies in America. For most of them, the simple, daily issues that challenge every family are even more anxiety-provoking. After conducting a comprehensive nine-year-long study funded by the National Institutes of Health, Dr. James H. Bray has written an invaluable book that explains why over half of all stepfamilies fail and reveals the strategies that help the others succeed. A stepfamily is assaulted on all sides by difficult and often divisive questions. How much control should a stepparent have over a stepchild? How much authority should a nonresidential parent exert over a child? How should a difficult former spouse be handled? How does an "ours" baby change the emotional dynamic in a stepfamily? Why is there a lack of "honeymoon effect" during the first years of stepfamily life? The purpose of Stepfamilies is to answer all the important questions of stepfamily life--to fill in the knowledge gaps that undermine so many stepfamilies today and, crucially, to learn the effect of stepfamily life on children. Based on one of the largest and longest studies of stepfamily life ever conducted, Stepfamilies interweaves the stories of real families to illustrate such study findings as how: a stepfamily has its own natural life cycle a stepfamily takes several years to develop into a family unit a stepfamily is at greatest risk during the first two years a stepfamily ultimately coalesces into one of three forms a stepfamily must solve four basic tasks in order to succeed a stepfamily can help heal the scars of divorce Filled with emotional, gripping stories, Bray's findings pinpoint the three major transitions in stepfamily life and identify the riskiest issues that can throw a family into crisis. Bray is the first to identify the several distinct forms that stepfamilies take and to explore which types of stepfamilies are more vulnerable than others and why. He also describes the natural life cycle of stepfamilies and basic tasks all stepfamilies must undertake to succeed. With a wealth of insight into the positive effects of remarriage, Bray shows how a loving, well-functioning stepfamily can lessen the trauma of divorce and restore a child's and family's sense of security. Most stepparents remarry with the highest hopes and new resolutions for a better life. Never before have their unique needs been addressed in depth. Through insightful case studies and practical advice, Stepfamilies reveals how a strong, stable stepfamily is as capable as a nuclear family of nurturing healthy development, of imbuing values, of setting limits and boundaries, and of providing a structure in which rules for living a moral and productive life are transmitted, tested, rebelled against, and ultimately affirmed. Bray's positive message and fascinating findings--many of which defy intuition--will put stepfamilies on the road to lifelong harmony.

Intervening for Stepfamily Success

Intervening for Stepfamily Success

Author: Joshua M. Gold

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2019-04-29

Total Pages: 157

ISBN-13: 1119602432

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This welcome resource provides concrete examples of how to apply multiple family systems theories and treatment planning to common stepfamily issues. A single stepfamily case study is examined through the lenses of the Adlerian, transgenerational, prescriptive play therapy, structural, cognitive behavior, solution-focused, and narrative models to provide an understanding of the benefits of each approach and how to determine the best fit for a stepfamily's presenting issues. In addition, each chapter examines ethical concerns specific to counseling stepfamilies, issues of diversity, and current research on stepfamily assessment and therapeutic outcomes. *Requests for digital versions from ACA can be found on www.wiley.com *To request print copies, please visit the ACA https://imis.counseling.org/store/detail *Reproduction requests for material from books published by ACA should be directed to [email protected]


Book Synopsis Intervening for Stepfamily Success by : Joshua M. Gold

Download or read book Intervening for Stepfamily Success written by Joshua M. Gold and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2019-04-29 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This welcome resource provides concrete examples of how to apply multiple family systems theories and treatment planning to common stepfamily issues. A single stepfamily case study is examined through the lenses of the Adlerian, transgenerational, prescriptive play therapy, structural, cognitive behavior, solution-focused, and narrative models to provide an understanding of the benefits of each approach and how to determine the best fit for a stepfamily's presenting issues. In addition, each chapter examines ethical concerns specific to counseling stepfamilies, issues of diversity, and current research on stepfamily assessment and therapeutic outcomes. *Requests for digital versions from ACA can be found on www.wiley.com *To request print copies, please visit the ACA https://imis.counseling.org/store/detail *Reproduction requests for material from books published by ACA should be directed to [email protected]

Blended Family Advice

Blended Family Advice

Author: Shirley Cress Dudley MA LPC

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

Published: 2009-10-26

Total Pages: 157

ISBN-13: 1450001904

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Blended Family Advice is step-by-step guide to help blended and stepfamilies navigate the rough areas in their marriage and family. The book focuses on three main areas: marriage, kids, and the outside world. Learn how to communicate with your ex-spouse successfully, create a sense of unity in your newly blended family, how to treat stepparents and stepsiblings, and how to create house rules and expectations in your new blended household. Shirley Cress Dudley uses her skills as a licensed professional counselor, and as a stepmom to help blended and step families learn how to become strong and successful. Blended Family Advice contains the keys to a successful blended family along with several bonus reports: a financial planner, creating successful blended family holidays, house hunting for the blended family, and a guide for grandparents. Blended families and stepfamilies will find this book to be a comprehensive resource and one that every stepfamily and blended family will need in their home. Visit The Blended and Step Family Resource Center http://www.TheBlendedandStepFamilyResourceCenter.com and http://www.BlendedFamilyAdvice.com for more information. Shirley Cress Dudley, MA LPC [email protected]


Book Synopsis Blended Family Advice by : Shirley Cress Dudley MA LPC

Download or read book Blended Family Advice written by Shirley Cress Dudley MA LPC and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2009-10-26 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Blended Family Advice is step-by-step guide to help blended and stepfamilies navigate the rough areas in their marriage and family. The book focuses on three main areas: marriage, kids, and the outside world. Learn how to communicate with your ex-spouse successfully, create a sense of unity in your newly blended family, how to treat stepparents and stepsiblings, and how to create house rules and expectations in your new blended household. Shirley Cress Dudley uses her skills as a licensed professional counselor, and as a stepmom to help blended and step families learn how to become strong and successful. Blended Family Advice contains the keys to a successful blended family along with several bonus reports: a financial planner, creating successful blended family holidays, house hunting for the blended family, and a guide for grandparents. Blended families and stepfamilies will find this book to be a comprehensive resource and one that every stepfamily and blended family will need in their home. Visit The Blended and Step Family Resource Center http://www.TheBlendedandStepFamilyResourceCenter.com and http://www.BlendedFamilyAdvice.com for more information. Shirley Cress Dudley, MA LPC [email protected]

Secrets of Successful Step-families

Secrets of Successful Step-families

Author: Sue Hart-Byers

Publisher: Lothian Children's Books

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 9780850919219

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Secrets of Successful Stepfamilies aims to help stepfamilies face the truth of their situation but at the same time offer useful advice. It lists all the most-asked questions that stepfamilies grapple with, and offers practical solutions.'


Book Synopsis Secrets of Successful Step-families by : Sue Hart-Byers

Download or read book Secrets of Successful Step-families written by Sue Hart-Byers and published by Lothian Children's Books. This book was released on 1998 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Secrets of Successful Stepfamilies aims to help stepfamilies face the truth of their situation but at the same time offer useful advice. It lists all the most-asked questions that stepfamilies grapple with, and offers practical solutions.'

But I'm NOT a Wicked Stepmother!

But I'm NOT a Wicked Stepmother!

Author: Kathi Lipp

Publisher: NavPress

Published: 2015-02-19

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 1624056334

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Most little girls grow up dreaming of being a mom, but hardly any of them dream of becoming a stepmom. Nevertheless, approximately one million new stepfamilies are created every year. It’s no secret, being a stepmother can be a living nightmare. But it can also be an enriching and rewarding experience—one that God can use to strengthen you, helping you survive and even thrive in the toughest job you never asked for. Written by two women who are stepmothers themselves—and know the difficulties of helping to raise someone else’s children—this book is filled with down-to-earth insights and advice for stepmothers from stepmothers. It also offers expert guidance from pastors and counselors on such issues as roles, expectations, realistic goals, organization, finances, holidays, vacations, relationships with stepchildren, negotiation, forgiveness, healing the past, building a strong marriage with stepchildren on the scene, dealing with in-laws and ex-spouses, sexual tensions in stepfamilies, health, depression, stress, and much more. While there is no magic formula to guarantee stepmother success, encouragement and practical wisdom are available in this much-needed resource.


Book Synopsis But I'm NOT a Wicked Stepmother! by : Kathi Lipp

Download or read book But I'm NOT a Wicked Stepmother! written by Kathi Lipp and published by NavPress. This book was released on 2015-02-19 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most little girls grow up dreaming of being a mom, but hardly any of them dream of becoming a stepmom. Nevertheless, approximately one million new stepfamilies are created every year. It’s no secret, being a stepmother can be a living nightmare. But it can also be an enriching and rewarding experience—one that God can use to strengthen you, helping you survive and even thrive in the toughest job you never asked for. Written by two women who are stepmothers themselves—and know the difficulties of helping to raise someone else’s children—this book is filled with down-to-earth insights and advice for stepmothers from stepmothers. It also offers expert guidance from pastors and counselors on such issues as roles, expectations, realistic goals, organization, finances, holidays, vacations, relationships with stepchildren, negotiation, forgiveness, healing the past, building a strong marriage with stepchildren on the scene, dealing with in-laws and ex-spouses, sexual tensions in stepfamilies, health, depression, stress, and much more. While there is no magic formula to guarantee stepmother success, encouragement and practical wisdom are available in this much-needed resource.

Blending Families

Blending Families

Author: Frank Martin

Publisher:

Published: 2018-11-13

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 9781731259370

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Even under the best of circumstances, marriage in a blended family is challenging. From parenting to ex-spouses to past hurts, couples face many obstacles. In Blending Families, eighteen successful stepfamilies will show you how they've learned to overcome their everyday challenges. Whether you ve been married for years or just preparing for the journey, Blending Families is the essential resource to help you breakthrough and have a successful family that will thrive for years to come.About the AuthorJimmy Evans is Founder and CEO of MarriageToday, a ministry that is devoted to helping couples thrive in strong and fulfilling marriages and families. Jimmy and his wife Karen co-host MarriageToday with Jimmy and Karen, a nationally syndicated television program which is broadcast daily into over 110 million homes in America and more than 200 countries worldwide.


Book Synopsis Blending Families by : Frank Martin

Download or read book Blending Families written by Frank Martin and published by . This book was released on 2018-11-13 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Even under the best of circumstances, marriage in a blended family is challenging. From parenting to ex-spouses to past hurts, couples face many obstacles. In Blending Families, eighteen successful stepfamilies will show you how they've learned to overcome their everyday challenges. Whether you ve been married for years or just preparing for the journey, Blending Families is the essential resource to help you breakthrough and have a successful family that will thrive for years to come.About the AuthorJimmy Evans is Founder and CEO of MarriageToday, a ministry that is devoted to helping couples thrive in strong and fulfilling marriages and families. Jimmy and his wife Karen co-host MarriageToday with Jimmy and Karen, a nationally syndicated television program which is broadcast daily into over 110 million homes in America and more than 200 countries worldwide.

Step-Parenting 101

Step-Parenting 101

Author: Nancy Kotowitz

Publisher:

Published: 2016-08-05

Total Pages: 128

ISBN-13: 9781535582278

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In the divorce courts these days, the rich and famous are not the only ones trying to protect their assets. More than half our population today is a divorce statistic. Many of these people are spending their lives after divorce battling in courtrooms over money, custody, and assets. While the lawyers are loving it, the rest of the world is not. What if stepparents could actually enjoy step-parenting by following a few simple steps? What if other stepparents were happy and you weren't just because you did not know what to do or how to do it? What if you had control of your life rather than your life's situations controlling you? The difference is hoping things will get better or actually living your dreams. It is time to start living your dreams.Like any other challenge, step-parenting can be broken down into steps. "W*A*R*M*-U*P*S" is an acronym for how stepfamilies should ease into their situation. * Step One: What do you want in a relationship? Relationship goals are the dreams your heart makes. Life is what you make it, and the goals you choose, make your dreams come true. Know your outcome. Figure out exactly what you want out of this relationship. Find out if this relationship is right for you.* Step Two: Ask your partner questions that reveal his/her values, beliefs, and morals. Know what you have to work with; figure out if your partner is compatible with you, and if you and your spouse have what it takes to make a step-relationship work. * Step Three: Research your facts; understand the many common challenges that stepfamilies face everyday that cause chaos and crisis.* Step Four: Make your choice; decide, weigh the pros and cons. Decisions happen in a split second and can drastically change your life. Find out how to make a definite decision that is right for you.* Step Five: Understand how to be an effective stepparent. Learn the Ten Secrets of Successful Step-parenting. * Step Six: Practice makes perfect. Practice the Ten Secrets of Successful Step-parenting. Put into practice what you have learned. * Step Seven-Ten:Survival tactics and suggestions. This is how and where to begin and other helpful hints to make your step-life a success. Put these steps into practice and you will happily survive step-parenting, guaranteed. "W*A*R*M*-U*P*S" is meant to help you not only to survive step-parenting but also to learn to enjoy it. This book purposely includes exercises to help you understand, plan, and prepare for your step-relationship. It does require you, not your spouse, or your mother, or your stepchild, to act. This book is meant to make you think, decide, and take action. It's time to take control of your life rather than complaining about your situation controlling you. If you are serious about surviving, and enjoying your life, read this book and do the exercises. It is your life. It is your choice.


Book Synopsis Step-Parenting 101 by : Nancy Kotowitz

Download or read book Step-Parenting 101 written by Nancy Kotowitz and published by . This book was released on 2016-08-05 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the divorce courts these days, the rich and famous are not the only ones trying to protect their assets. More than half our population today is a divorce statistic. Many of these people are spending their lives after divorce battling in courtrooms over money, custody, and assets. While the lawyers are loving it, the rest of the world is not. What if stepparents could actually enjoy step-parenting by following a few simple steps? What if other stepparents were happy and you weren't just because you did not know what to do or how to do it? What if you had control of your life rather than your life's situations controlling you? The difference is hoping things will get better or actually living your dreams. It is time to start living your dreams.Like any other challenge, step-parenting can be broken down into steps. "W*A*R*M*-U*P*S" is an acronym for how stepfamilies should ease into their situation. * Step One: What do you want in a relationship? Relationship goals are the dreams your heart makes. Life is what you make it, and the goals you choose, make your dreams come true. Know your outcome. Figure out exactly what you want out of this relationship. Find out if this relationship is right for you.* Step Two: Ask your partner questions that reveal his/her values, beliefs, and morals. Know what you have to work with; figure out if your partner is compatible with you, and if you and your spouse have what it takes to make a step-relationship work. * Step Three: Research your facts; understand the many common challenges that stepfamilies face everyday that cause chaos and crisis.* Step Four: Make your choice; decide, weigh the pros and cons. Decisions happen in a split second and can drastically change your life. Find out how to make a definite decision that is right for you.* Step Five: Understand how to be an effective stepparent. Learn the Ten Secrets of Successful Step-parenting. * Step Six: Practice makes perfect. Practice the Ten Secrets of Successful Step-parenting. Put into practice what you have learned. * Step Seven-Ten:Survival tactics and suggestions. This is how and where to begin and other helpful hints to make your step-life a success. Put these steps into practice and you will happily survive step-parenting, guaranteed. "W*A*R*M*-U*P*S" is meant to help you not only to survive step-parenting but also to learn to enjoy it. This book purposely includes exercises to help you understand, plan, and prepare for your step-relationship. It does require you, not your spouse, or your mother, or your stepchild, to act. This book is meant to make you think, decide, and take action. It's time to take control of your life rather than complaining about your situation controlling you. If you are serious about surviving, and enjoying your life, read this book and do the exercises. It is your life. It is your choice.