Search Results for: blog can you survive stepfamily holiday stress

What Do You Call Your Mother-In-Law?

This may sound like an odd question, but what do you call your in-laws? I know some couples who call them the formal Mrs. Last Name, I know others that call them by the more familiar first name, still others who just drop the formality and call them Mom or Momma First Name. The reason I ask about what you call your in-laws, particularly your mother-in-law can seem to have a real effect on your parents and their reaction to your in-laws. For Me Personally I’ve known my husband’s mother for more than a decade and we’re very close. I’ve … Continue reading →

Do Your Parents Resent Your In-Laws?

Here’s an odd conundrum or maybe it’s not so odd, but I’ve had more than one note from a couple encountering this particular issue and whether it’s the bride’s parents or the groom’s – how do you cope with it when your parents don’t like your in-laws? For Christa in North Carolina, she describes it as walking a tightrope while juggling especially around the holidays. She and her husband have three children and instead of having one large holiday with the whole family together they spend one part of the holidays with one set of grandparents and the other part … Continue reading →

Save Gift Receipts for and from In-Laws

This is a two way street. It happens often, because people really just haven’t had (or taken) the time to get to know each other well. You buy a gift that you think is perfect for one of your in-laws, but the look on his or her face doesn’t exactly show delight when the gift is opened. On the other hand, your in-laws may purchase something for you that they believe you will like only to find that they could not have been more wrong. Most of us try to smile and play it off, but it’s pretty obvious when … Continue reading →

Happy Holidays: Welcome to December

Good morning and welcome to Friday, December 1st, there are just 24 shopping days left until Christmas. I’ve always wanted to write that for some reason and well, there you go, I’ve achieved a goal for myself in just a few keystrokes of typing. This month, we celebrate our first anniversary here at Families.com, last month we celebrated our 1000th post and much, much more. Our Holiday Plans This month we’re all going to be busy, we’re all making holiday plans, some of us are traveling, some of us are staying home – some of us celebrate with Santa Claus … Continue reading →

The Marriage Blog Week in Review: November 11-17

Is it really Saturday already? It seems kind of crazy that we’re already here, when I was just writing up the week in review last week. But here we are. It’s been an eventful week here at the marriage blog as we approach our first anniversary, we also crossed the 1,000th post line and Sherry and I continued our point and counterpoint in Marriage Debates. You’ll see changes taking place over the next week as we close in on Thanksgiving with a little re-organization and the adding of topics here and there. As always, we want to hear from you … Continue reading →

Step-parenthood and the Holidays

You adore your spouse. His or her kids are great too. The ex? Well, maybe not so much. Even if you generally have a civil relationship with your spouse’s ex, things may very well get tense when the holidays roll around. Being a step-parent isn’t always easy. It requires a lot of patience. I commend those who do it well. For those of you who may not feel like it’s going so great, I have a couple tips that might help. Do not Enable Your Spouse If your husband or wife engages in an unhealthy competition in regard to the … Continue reading →

Tips for Dealing with Stepfamily Holiday Stress

When holidays become nightmares instead of joyous occasions, it’s time to do something different. It takes effort and everyone has to be willing to compromise. Now, some people might stop me there and say, “You don’t know my ex or her (his) parents!” No, I don’t know them, but I know what I had to deal with in the past, and it wasn’t pretty. Even if your ex and his or her family are difficult, you can find ways to make things go more smoothly. I hope some of these tips will prove helpful. Put the Kids First If all … Continue reading →

Can You Survive? Stepfamily Holiday Stress

I don’t really care for the term stepfamily. I prefer blended family, even though I’m not usually given to politically correct terminology. The point is that stepfamilies or blended families can encounter some unique challenges, especially during the holidays. Time can be at a premium, especially when not only ex-spouses, but also ex-in laws, as well as your own family members hope to spend more time with your children. This can often lead to stressful and uncomfortable situations. It may also lead to resentment for your spouse. It is important to make sure that you try to keep everyone’s feelings … Continue reading →