by Shadra Bruce | Stepparenting
I don’t run into as many problems any more with the older kids out of school, but there was a time when being a stepparent caused annoyance and frustration. There were times when I was unable to speak for my kids, like when teachers called and wanted to speak to...
by Shadra Bruce | Stepparenting
Getting Real With Shadra Bruce It was heartbreaking for me watching our older kids wait for phone calls that never came, visits that never materialized, and relationships that never happened with their biological mother. I wanted nothing more than to magically go back...
by Shadra Bruce | Stepparenting
Getting Real with Shadra Bruce I started seriously dating Dave when Derek was 11 and Kyle and Kira were almost 7. Since being first introduced, the kids had called me by my first name. Kyle called me mom almost immediately; but for a while, he called every woman mom....
by Shadra Bruce | Let's Talk, Stepparenting
Getting Real with Shadra Bruce Blending a family is no easy task. As much as you may want your partner’s child or children to accept you, it can be a slow process. Some children are ready and want a new parent in the household, but others may resist. It’s important to...
by Shadra Bruce | Stepparenting
Getting Real With Shadra Bruce When you have a baby, you have 9 months or so to develop an idea of what parenting will be like, to get your mind ready to be a parent. You have time to read books about pregnancy and babies and the terrible twos; there is time to...
by Shadra Bruce | Stepparenting
Probably one of the more notable challenges of living in a blended family is adjusting to the various lifestyles and attitudes each of us bring to the newly formed group. The kids were old enough, when their biological mother left, to remember some differences between...
