The Step Parent Podcast

Listen: Yvonne Kelly's Book Review

Blended-Families.com Coach, Yvonne Kelly writes a review of the book, A Career Girl's Guide to Becoming a Stepmom by Jacquelyn B. Fletcher. Yvonne comments that the Career Girl's Guide is unique because that it is written directly from Jacqueline's experience of being a professional woman who entered into this realm with very little preparation for what she had embarked on. So she can speak to what she wished she would have known as well as to what she now knows as a result of her accumulated experiences as well as those of otherâs she has talked with and learned from.

Listen: Yvonne Kelly's Book Review

For a career woman, becoming an instant stepmom is sometimes the most challenging task she will take on. Her mind is often filled with uncertainties. What exactly is the role of step mother? Should I be a friend or a disciplinarian? How do I juggle the job, the new marriage, and time for myself and still feel balanced and in control? Blended-Families.com invited Jacquelyn Fletcher for an interview on January 15, 2009 6pm EST to shed light to these questions in her book, A Career Girl's Guide to Becoming a Stepmom. Fletcher's book addresses every important issue about being a stepmom, combines a real live perspective, a positive attitude, and a practical approach that focuses on solutions, never defeat or negative compromise.

This year may be the perfect time to introduce an alternative Holiday celebration, based more on making memories and focusing on the reason for the season, and less on commercialism and unrestrained spending.

The Holiday Season, traditionally a time for splurging and generous gift giving, is likely to be a challenge for many families this year as they struggle with the new economic realities of job loss , mortgage meltdown and general financial insecurity. Blended-Families.com offers some guidelines for celebrating in the New Economy. This is the first of two parts.

Listen: Stress Reduction

With over 6,500 subscribers to our step parenting newsletter, we receive requests daily for coaching support. We know you are looking for answers, and we also know how tight times are financially for people right now.

• Outrageously affordable coaching!
• Weekly access to blended family experts
• Cheaper than one large supreme pizza

In an effort to meet both your family and financial concerns, the experts at Blended-Families.com are thrilled to invite you to join a live, biweekly question and answer session where you can ask your toughest step-family questions. We're calling it the StepHero™ Q&A Coaching Sessions.

Click here to join and get relief from your Blended Family's "Heart Burn".

Listen: The 7 Pitfalls of Single Parenting

Today Blended-Families.com Coach, Sheena Berg, provides a Book Review of the ground-breaking book, The 7 Pitfalls of Single Parenting by Carolyn Ellis. Sheena finds the book to be a comprehensive guide by detailing what to avoid and is written from a positive, proactive stance beginning with the THRIVE principles that are basic concepts configured in an acronym to convey a sense of inspiration, hope and success: Trust, Honesty, Responsibility, Integrity, Vision and Expression.

Listen: The 7 Pitfalls of Single Parenting

Listen: Make Time for the Family Dinner

It’s well documented that kids who eat dinner regularly with their families feel more connected, do better in school and are less likely to be involved in drugs and alcohol and other risky behaviors.

Today, Blended-Families.com present even more good reasons to make the family dinner part of your routine as often as you can.

Listen: Make Time for the Family Dinner

Listen: Kids Flying Alone

There are million of kids who fly alone either locally or internationally. They are labeled by airlines as Unaccompanied Minors (UMs).

Blended-Families.com offers some tips to parents of UMs in the hope that lessen would be lessened and the flight be delightful and memorable to the child.

Listen: Kids Flying Alone

Listen now: Coping Strategies - Part 2


This is the second of a two-parts articles on how blended families can take action and feel more in control of their destiny as this economic nightmare plays itself out. Additional strategies include enlisting the kids in saving family money and being aggressive in cutting unnecessary spending.


Listen now: Coping Strategies - Part 2

Listen now: Coping Strategies

Blended families, along with every other sector of the country, will probably feel the negative impact of the meltdown on Wall Street. No one is immune to the fallout that has caused the federal government to step in with a multi billion dollar bailout to stabilize financial markets and prevent a total collapse.

In these times of financial crises, Blended-Families.com offers some strategies to help families take action and feel more in control of their destiny as this economic nightmare plays itself out.

This is the first of two series.

Listen now: Coping Strategies

Listen: Alec Baldwin on Parental Alienation


Blended-Families.com Coach Sheena Berg writes about Alec Baldwin's struggle with Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS). PAS is described by leading expert, Dr Richard Warshak in his groundbreaking book, Divorce Poison, as a deliberate and concerted campaign by one parent to turn children against the other parent by bad mouthing, bashing and brainwashing, in an effort to alienate them and sever their relationship.


Listen: Alec Baldwin on Parental Alienation

Listen: What is Fair and Effective?


In the recent coaching session of Blended-Families.com, Greg, one of the callers, shared his desire to parent all their children without causing friction between him and his wife. Different personality types come into play. Blended-Families.com Founder and Coach Emily Bouchard gives a powerful advice for Greg to consider to make his family the best that it can become.


Listen: What is Fair and Effective?

Listen now: Part 1 and Part 2


Step Wars is an excellent and practical guide to help avoid pitfalls, to repair past damage, to maintain healthy relationships and to help everyone enjoy an adult step family experience. Blended-Families.com Coach Sheena Berg provides an objective review of the book for readers to appreciate it more.


Listen now: Part 1 and Part 2

Listen: Step Wars

Adult stepfamilies face five common anger issues. Issues that surprisingly, both the parental couple and adult children share. Although these basic fears and concerns are important factors in stepparent relationships, there are opposing views about who causes the problems. Grace Gabe, M.D. and Jean Lipman-Blumen, Ph.D., authors of the groundbreaking book, Step Wars, described these anger issues as the Five Furies.

This is a must read for anyone in an adult stepfamily, whether biological parent, stepparent or adult child. It is an excellent and practical guide to help avoid pitfalls, to repair past damage, to maintain healthy relationships and to help everyone enjoy an adult step family experience.

This topic is expounded more in the book, Step Wars, by Grace Gabe, M.D. and Jean Lipman-Blumen, Ph.D. There’s no substitute for reading the book, but a close second is to join us on an Ask the Experts interview with Grace Gabe and Jean Lipman-Blumen on September 30, 9 pm EST. If you can’t be on the call, submit your very own question to the authors here.

Listen: Step Wars

Listen now: The Wizard of Oz is in You!

The Wizard of Oz is in You! is a fully interactive and enlightening way to learn and develop communication skills with a child and to learn the often hidden thoughts and emotions that motivate the behavior of a child.

The Wizard of Oz is in You! can reveal why your child THINKS the way they do, why they ACT the way they do, and can help uncover the reason they make critical choices that wind up defining their life.

Listen now: The Wizard of Oz is in You!

Listen now: Award Winning Children's Books

At Blended-Families.com, we are continually looking for great resources to make a positive difference in the lives of blended families. We recently came across two award-winning children's books by David Michael Slater that we are thrilled to feature and share with you. "The Ring Bear" is about a son and mother, while "Flour Girl" is about a daughter and dad. The illustrations are delightful and make the stories come alive.

With humor and creativity these books capture the confused emotions that come up for children when they find out their father or mother plans to remarry. Parents and children alike will relate to the messages in both these stories, as well as gain some clues about ways to navigate those inevitable bumps that occur when blending families.

We highly recommend these books to anyone looking for ways to integrate a new partner into your family system.

Listen now: Award Winning Children's Books

Listen now: Secrets of Happily Married Men

In today's installment of the Blended Family News podcast, we discuss a book that we are certain can help your families blended successfully.

Among other things, Dr. Scott Haltzman, in his book The Secrets of Happily Married Men, discusses the varied reasons behind relationship dissatisfaction and breakdown, and focuses in on how men are portrayed and described as relationships buffoons who couldn't get it right to save their lives. This stereotype does nothing to promote good relationships.

The book celebrates the equality of the sexes and acknowledges their innate strengths and skills. However, the distinguishing message is that there are real and undeniable biological and emotional differences between men and women that need to be understood and used to benefit the relationship, not to create more conflict.

Listen here now: Secrets of Happily Married Men

College Graduate Boomerangs

According to Peter Vogt of MonsterTRAK, nearly half of this year's college graduates surveyed said they planned to move back home after receiving their diplomas. Even more discouraging, 42% of 2006 graduates surveyed reported that they were still living at home after a couple of years.

In today's podcast, blended families coach Sheena Berg, lays out some guidelines to help balance the graduate's need for economic assistance with the parents' desire that their child grow up and take full reign as a responsible adult.

College Graduate Boomerangs

Michelle Farias' book 25 WAYS TO KEEP YOUR CHILD HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL - Lessons from a School Counselor, helps parents nurture healthy relationships with their kids in order to promote their well-being and success in school.

Listen to Maintain A Healthy Relationship With Your Child.