Exciting news: Tune in to weekly Wednesday stepparenting tips at my blog, Mama J's Parenting Posts: www.dianefromme.com/blog/. Click the "Stepparenting" category to see all the Wednesday posts.
Stepparenting Tips
This rotating collection of stepparenting advice from experts, the author, and other stepparents will be updated once per quarter.
Winter 2008 - 2009
Life appears to be too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrong.
-- Charlotte Bronte
Choose to Love
Ron Deal, founder of the Successful Stepfamilies ministry, offers this positive and thoughtful viewpoint:
"I'm convinced that God uses the stepfamily experience to teach His children about choosing love...God chose to love us even when we didn't love Him."
Family life in general is a spiritual training ground. Stepfamily life offers something above and beyond the regular joys and trials of family life. According to Deal, "...it offers parents and children alike the unique opportunity to reflect God's choice to love. When stepfamily members choose to love, amazing things happen."
Look at some of the ways stepfamily members choose to love:
- Stepparents choose to love children not their own
- Stepsiblings share with each other the honor of being called family
- Stepgrandparents give to stepgrandchildren as with their own grandchildren
When your tendency this winter leans toward focusing on the negative, experiment with what can happen when you choose love. Thank your spouse for the love he or she shows all of your children. Write compliments to your stepchildren. Tell them you're there when they need you. Work with your spouse to encourage stepsiblings to show kindness to one another and to communicate appreciation for one another.
If you have any stories about how choosing to love changes the climate in your stepfamily, I'd love to hear them at info@dianefromme.com
Have a loving and magical winter.
Diane is seeking publication of Stepparenting the Grieving Child. Stay tuned for publication news: Join our mailing list for updates and information.