It’s almost Blended Family Week, a time dedicated to the celebration of blended families everywhere. It’s a necessary recognition because merging families isn’t always easy. Add to that this current climate of COVID and it could become even more of a challenge. It's comforting to know there are resources and tips for successful blended families. If you are looking for blended … [Read more...]
How God’s Sense of Humor Healed My Blended Family; Plus, 5 Tips for YOU
Many people ask, "how did you make your blended family work?" With so many couples turning to divorce in our society, I can see how this perplexes folks. My prayer is that these five tips will help you in this journey called LIFE. 1. Pray!!!! I am so serious about this. Bringing children and a spouse together is a totally different dynamic, which can make or break a new … [Read more...]
The 4 Greatest Lessons I Learned Growing Up in a Blended Family
I love that BMWK has dedicated an entire month to blended families. According to smart stepfamilies.com, 40 percent of married couples with children are actually blended families. Dedicating a week to discuss it just makes sense. I personally don't know life outside of a blended family. My parents ended their relationship very early, and my dad married and began a new family. … [Read more...]
Blend Family Week: 3 Phrases to Never Say to a Blended Family
I grew up in a blended family due to my parents marrying one another after previous marriages, then having me. They both had children from their previous marriage, which one, my older brother, lived with us. My older brother and I are literally night and day. He is 6’4, 250 lbs, and I am 5’7 140 lbs. It was very evident when you saw us together that we weren’t full blood … [Read more...]
Why Living in Blended Families was a Gift and a Curse for Me
My father has always had a tumultuous time with women. Being such, my brother and I have had the experience of being raised in a few blended families. As is true with most experiences, it was both a gift and a curse. My parents divorced after 15 years of marriage while I was six and my brother was twelve. My father retained custody of both my brother and I. After … [Read more...]
Blended Families Week: Why Good Intentions are Not Good Enough
Lamar and I just celebrated 9 years of marriage. And while I can’t say that the last nine years have gone by without any drama or trials, I can say that marrying Lamar has been one of the best decisions that I’ve made in my life. He’s not only been a blessing to me, but he has also been a blessing to my children ….our children. We were recently asked what has been one of … [Read more...]
7 Steps to a Well Blended Family
I come from a family that was so well blended I wasn't even aware that our family dynamic wasn't the norm until I was at least in high school. The term blended family was new to me. Even though my parents each came into their union with children from previous marriages, my sisters were just my sisters and mommy and daddy were just that. I distinctly remember my mother saying … [Read more...]
Another Blended Family Love Story: How My Husband Became “Daddy”
Recently, I wrote an article about my Father before he became my Daddy, where I shared my experience growing up in a blended family home. Now, I am going to share my experience as a parent allowing my spouse to raise my child. My family knew my husband’s family from church many years before we got together. My sister teased me about my him becoming my husband even before we … [Read more...]
Blended Families Week: 8 StepFamily Resources that We Love
This week is Blended Families week on the site. Although we talk about blend families (or step-families) all year long, this is the week that we set aside to really focus on discussing blended families and providing tools and resources that will strengthen those families. According to the Pew Research Center, over 40% of adults are now in some type of step-relationship ( … [Read more...]
Blended Families Week: 3 Ways to Help Step-Children Get Along
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...]
Couples Spotlight: Carlton & Joyce Waterman
This week's spotlight is on Carlton and Joyce Waterman. They met as neighbors in New York around 1975 (as with most couples who have been together for so many years, they cannot remember the exact year) before getting married. They blended families to become one huge unit of seven children (all girls) and thirteen grandchildren (ranging in ages from eighteen months to … [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...]