Stepfamily Living - Part 1

Stepfamily Living – Part 1

Session 12 | Episode 1

Approaching Stepfamily Living with Eyes Wide Open

Welcome to our podcast on stepfamily living. If you are listening to this podcast you are either in a stepfamily, planning to enter a stepfamily or you know of a stepfamily. So, it’s important to understand that stepfamilies have unique challenges and complications that are not part of the culture of nuclear families. My husband and I have found that new stepparents seem to be totally unprepared and surprised when they begin to encounter these complexities.

Stepfamilies are built on brokenness and loss – either through death or divorce. Every couple has their own unique story.

Stepfamilies are built on brokenness and loss

Stepfamilies are built on brokenness and loss – either through death or divorce. Every couple has their own unique story. Once biological parents remarry, it’s a secondary loss for the children and sometimes they can become resistant. Resistant children can sabotage the new relationship.

So, if you are in a dating relationship that will blend families, just a word of caution – SLOW DOWN. It’s easier on the children if you stay single while they are young.

Sadly, statistics show that secondary marriages have a much higher risk of divorce than first marriages. One way to minimise that risk is to be informed and invest time and energy to learn how to make your stepfamily a success story.

In the next few podcasts, we will look at some of the complexities and how you can navigate them.

I want to acknowledge the resources from Ron Deal who is a worldwide leader in stepfamilies. He conducts extensive research and has counselled stepfamilies for almost 30 years. He is the author, and co-author, of many books, and he regularly hosts seminars with stepfamilies and other experts in the field. For more resources you can check out FamilyLife Blended.

Presented by

Patty Borgert

Patty has a degree in Family Studies from New Mexico State University in the US. She has lived in Africa for 45 years and has worked in Eswatini, Zimbabwe and South Africa. She and her husband, Ken, have been married for thirty-five years and have two children. They have been working with FamilyLife, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, for thirty-four years.