Growing up with a blended family had its share of challenges as well as blessings. Outside of the typical questions you have as the outside child, if you put your focus in the right place, you really can have the best of both worlds. I didn't appreciate as a child having these different sets of families who loved me and were available when I needed them. Instead of that … [Read more...]
Getting Re-Married? 3 Factors that Could Lead to Re-Divorce
Lamar and I are shooting our 5th documentary film and the topic is Blended Families. This topic is near and dear to our hearts because we have a blended family. I had two children from a previous relationship when Lamar and I met, and then we had two more kids after we got married. And what we’ve found out is that our family structure is not so un-common as 1/3 of all … [Read more...]
Accidental Friends – Our Blended Family Story
I have this friend and I want to tell you about her. She is so super cool. I've known her for about 15 years. We met in my home town in Indiana. She is very kind and always helpful. She is a hardworking, God fearing Christian woman with her own catering business in Indianapolis. She refers to my son as "our son" and I love her daughter. In fact her daughter has spent the … [Read more...]
Being in a Blended Family: From a Child’s Perspective
If you're a biological parent in a blended family, you often wonder exactly what its like from the step-child's perspective. My son and I have a very close relationship and I'm always inquiring about his feelings on just about anything, especially when it comes to our family structure. If you recall, I wrote an article talking about my feelings and how I felt when it was … [Read more...]
What Are the Blessings in Your Blended Family?
I can honestly say, for just about my whole life, I have been a member of a blended family. I hated being a step-child as a youngster and couldn't fathom why my parents were unable to make things work. As an adult, I now know that relationships aren't as cut and dry as I once thought. There is a great deal of work that goes into any successful relationship. My parents were … [Read more...]
5 Things I Wish I Had Known Prior to Blending My Family
In today's age, there are a lot of divorcees finding love again and people are choosing to place their desires for a successful career before marriage. Naturally, the prevalence of blended families is becoming increasingly popular. If you are considering blending your family, ask yourself if you have taken the necessary steps to ensure that everyone in the family … [Read more...]
Blended Families Week: 5 Tips to Help You Transition into a Blended Family
by Carletta Henderson-Youngs Change and transition are common in blended families. Every family member has to find a way to adjust to new roles, different expectations, and greater challenges. Often times it is easy to focus on adult matters, although children in blended families are equally affected. To make transitions easier and to strengthen the family bond, consider … [Read more...]
Blended Families Week: Dos and Don’ts to Parenting With Your Child’s Other Parents
My mother and my stepmother, whom my dad remarried when I was a teenager, call each other "wife-in-laws." Growing up, my father lived in a different state, so my stepmom would come into town without him. My mom, my stepmom, my siblings, and I would often go out to the mall or to eat, etc. I took for granted the fact that my mother and stepmother had a good relationship. I … [Read more...]
Still Standing: The Key Ingredient to Blending a Family is LOVE
James and Carletta Youngs have been married for more than 10 years now. When they met, Carletta was a single mom with 2 daughters and James was the non-custodial parent of two kids (a son and a daughter.) They fell in love, got married, and quickly found out that blending a family was going to be more difficult than they thought. There were emotional impacts for everyone … [Read more...]
Blended Families Week: How to Survive and Thrive in A Blended Family When Your Kids Live in Two Households
And so it happens that Mr. or Mrs. Right finds you, slipper in hand, and you both vow your love to each other for eternity to live in Blendedville. But on the way to Blendedville, you must first stop to pick up two, little adorable travelers that will forever be a part of your journey. What becomes immediately clear is that, although you are certain about your love for each … [Read more...]
Travel Tuesday: Vacations for Blended Families!
It's "˜Blended Family' week here at BMWK and we have a few (well just two for now"...LOL) ideas for vacations that are sure to be great family fun and create lasting memories for any blended family. When planning a vacation for a blended family you have to consider the likes and dislikes of every family member and of course your budget. Before you hold that … [Read more...]
Blended Families Week: 6 Blended Family Twitter Accounts that You Need to Follow Now!
With divorce rates and out-of-wedlock birthrates being so high, most Americans today will find themselves in some type of step/blended family situation. People who marry a person that already has children are often blind-sided by the difficulties and challenges of blended family life. And they often find themselves desperately looking for help or a way out. The bad news is … [Read more...]
Blended Families Week: A Great Way to Begin a Blended Family
This summer I had the great pleasure of attending a beautiful wedding ceremony for an extended family member. The couple was adorable and the event was amazing. Everything you typically see during a wedding was all in place; the beautiful flower girl (my daughter), the wedding party, the flowers and the Pastor. I was all prepared to witness what I normally do, the couples … [Read more...]
Blended Families Week: Diary of An Older Stepchild
For the first few years after my father's death in 2002, the idea of my mother dating someone else repulsed me. In my 12-year-old mind, her obligation was to my father, even after his death and any potential suitors were put through a mental obstacle course. Flash forward to July 2007, I was 17 years old and my mom casually brings up a man that she had been seeing for a little … [Read more...]
Blended Families Week: A Blended Family is the New Norm
by Reginald Williams The blended family now serves as America's norm. This is especially true in the larger segment of the African-American population when one factors in the sky-scraping out-of-wedlock birthrate complemented by an equally dismal divorce pace. Even within the larger society 65 percent of the people who remarry will do so bringing children into the new … [Read more...]