The Elections are finally over!

Regardless of how you voted in these elections or how you feel about the outcome I bet you are glad it’s over! I am very politically active, very involved in women’s issues and very passionate and vocal about my opinions in these areas…much more than my other half--Dr. Rick. (The picture above is from the Miami County Commission for Women.)

This year in particular the election cycle has been hard. My family has been divided on the candidates and some of the issues as have some of my friends so this has put an unusual amount of stress on many of our relationships. Dealing with these issues is hard for all of us but in the case of step families where we combine families that may not have the same opinions on political issues it can be a real challenge. It takes a lot of patience, communication, compromise and love to work through it all but with a little effort it can be done. Luckily for our stepfamily we share similar views on most things in our little unit (or at least I think we do) but the extended family is a different story and it’s been tough…I for one am glad that this election is over, we’ve survived it and now we can all move forward.
I hope this change is a positive one and that our country and families will be unified under this new leadership. Step or not it is family that is most important, it’s time to get over our differences and look forward to better times and a brighter future!

How did this election impact your life?

Have a great day,

Carmen (aka the better half)

THE ELECTION!

THE ELECTION.
What brings a family closer together or drives them further apart than politics?

I try not to bring the subject up in my family for fear of offending someone or worse, opening the door for them to offend me! The current Presidential election is one of the most important elections in our country’s history. We are at a social, financial, and moral crossroad.Whomever you choose to lead our nation, be sure that he (and in the future, she) does it surrounded by hand-picked intelligent, motivated, hopefully objective people, chosen for their expertise and leadership qualities.

Let’s face it, we all have an opinion, and thankfully in the United States, a voice to express our thoughts and feelings. Use it responsibly, and may the best candidate win leading us back on a positive track.

Dr. Rick

Stepparent "Identity"

Stepparent "Identity"

Is there a difference in the way a stepparent is perceived
depending on the childrens' life stage? What I mean by this is,
in my experience, a stepparent that enters the scene when the
kids are older is more likely to be defined as a "step" parent
than one who marries in when the kids are young. There are
obviously other factors too, such as how involved is the
non-custodial biological parent and how equipped is the new stepparent to begin with. But all in all, I wonder if others have experienced a specific distinction based on when you married into the family. Let me know what you think.
Dr. Rick

Pictures! Enjoy! Send us your photos and we'll place them on our blog!

thestepcardcollection Launches Premier Collection of Quality, Printed Cards

"Just for Stepfamilies"

http://www.thestepcardcollection.com/ the premier online resource for sentiment, occasion and greeting cards for stepfamilies has successfully launched its first collection of quality, PRINTED holiday, occasion and sentiment cards created specifically for stepfamilies.

The first group of 24 high-quality, printed cards (printed on recycled paper) was written by Dr. Rick, illustrated by Belgian Artist Caroline Geys and Designed by Miami-based design team BE IT Designs. "The cards are fresh, spirited, humorous and playful in design and pack the same sentimental and communicative punch as our collection of online cards" said Dr. Rick. For more information on how to get these wonderful cards - please contact us at sales@thestepcardcollection.com. To obtain the full press release please contact: Media contacts: Lisa Silvera/Christopher Hughes info@thinkkingmedia.com.

Are my feelings legit?

I wonder how many children have experienced this situation in their families? Your parents were divorced when you were young and you have been living with your Mom since the split. Your Dad's visits with you started out pretty regularly, but have gotten less and less frequent over the years. Maybe he got remarried and has a new family or maybe the interest is lower. Who knows? Your Mom married this new man a few years back (your stepfather) and it's turned out OK. In fact, your attachment to him is getting greater than your attachment to your biological Dad. Does this present a problem for you? You know--loyalty, commitment, jealousy on either of the Dad's parts? I just want to say that any of these feelings are legit.

Tell me how you're feeling about this. Let's see if we can get a dialogue going with others in this situation.
Dr. Rick