| One Step At A Time: Breakfast
First |
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Going From Throwing Stones To Stepping
Stones
Everyone who has been here knows that having a harmonious
and functional TRADITIONAL family is sometimes difficult;
achieving that with a blended family is even more challenging.
Put a check next to issues you would like to see improved in
your family and let us see where we stand!
- Kids pitting birth parents against step parent.
- Birth parents siding with birth children over steps.
- Blended couple having trouble unifying parenting styles.
- Ex-spouses adding fuel to a firey situation.
- Jealousy issues between blended children.
- Visitation and holiday issues.
- Grandparents having difficulty with new family.
- The mother name change problem.
- Pets being integrated.
- Preservation of the new marriage.
If you
had to check three or more of these issues as being a problem
in your family, you are not alone! Not only do you have one
out of every two families in America on your side of the
table, you have Step Family Success beside you waiting to
assist! I invite you to allow me to offer a complimentary 20
minute session.
Find out more....
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Greetings!
My youngest stepson told me that the one thing he missed
when he moved out on his own was our family sitting down
together to share meals.
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Sandy's Tip
for June |
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Your blended marriage (you and your new spouse) need to
present a unified front concerning table manners as well as
with any other issue. Chances are that meals and the way they
were dealt with in the "old" family may have been different
than the way they are with your new family. Whatever those
rules used to be, the two of you parents need to decide what
is important and then lay out the guidelines for the kids.
Make sure that there is an equal division between them (duties
being age appropriate of course) for dishwashing, clearing the
table, setting the table, etc. What about asking to be excused
from the table? Does that matter to either one of you?
Whatever you two decide, bring it to the table in a unified
front as soon as you can to prevent those stones from flying!
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Read on... |
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What Are
Your Pet's Tastes? |
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Goldfish are one thing, but trying to move the new cat in
with the old dog, or vice versa? That is a little bit like how
your kids are getting along, huh? Fighting like cats and
dogs!!! Hardy har, har, har. Not funny at all! Depending on
the breed & socialization of a dog, canines really like,
and have a healthy respect for cats. Some terrier breeds are
notorious for having a "taste" for cats, so you will have to
take that into account! If the dog likes to chase cats (what
dog doesn't?), make sure it knows that is NOT allowed through
words and tone. EVERY time it tries to chase. Cats however,
are totally different animals. They don't tend to change home
situations easily, and they don't often integrate easily into
a house with another cat. Sad, but true. One thing you have to
do is keep the cat indoors at the new house for a minimum of
three days to let it know this is where you want it to stay.
Another thing you should do is put your scent (cologne or
perfume) on the new dog or cat, and on as many surfaces that
the cat will come in contact with before he or she moves into
the new house. A cat's olfactory sense is very keen, and your
scent is familiar and comforting to him or her. Avoiding
jealousy between animals is just like kids: pay an equal
amount of attention to them. Keep all of the dog rules for all
dogs, and all of the cat rules for all cats. Of course,
feeding times should be consistent and they should all have
their own feeding places established safely, fairly, and right
away. |
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Read on... |
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