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Blending Families Stepfamily Course Tasmania

StepfamilyZone — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 19:55:45 +0000

For couples who are living in a ‘blended’ family or are considering joining their families. The program will help your explore parenting styles, good communication and conflict resolution.

When

31 October 2012 – 21 November 2012

7:00pm – 9:00pm

4 sessions, 8 hours total

Where

Relationships Australia Tasmania

20 Clare Street New Town

Cost

$104.50 per person

$64.50 / $74.50 concession

Course Description

When parts of two already formed families combine there are bound to be kinks and tensions while the members try to sort out their positions within the new team.
In this course the ‘team managers’ or you both, the new couple, will have the opportunity to consider in a new light what your children may be experiencing.
Each family group will already have its own well developed ways of being together and part of managing the new team is for you to identify how both sides operate in their own space.

What your course will cover

You will develop ways of managing the new team more effectively by:

Exploring your individual situations
Discussing your personal approach to your own issues with each other
Identifying the team members you have and what they bring to the mix
Brainstorming ways of making the new team work
Finding ways to maintain the team function
Trialing plans to have couple time to keep your ‘sanity’

What to bring

Pen & note paper

Important information

Classes are not held on public holidays unless otherwise advertised

Please note that children must not attend this class unless it is a specified parent/child activity.

For more information or to enrol please call Relationships Australia Tasmania on: (03) 6211 4050

http://stepfamilytasmania.com/Blending_Families

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Retrieved from “http://tipsandsteps.com/Blending_Families_Stepfamily_Course_Tasmania”

Stepfamilies are not blended Healthy ones recognize that… (stepfamilyzone.com.au)
Stepfamily Genogram (stepfamilyzone.com)
Before becoming a stepfamily many people have misconceptions… (stepfamilyzone.com.au)
Learn All You Can About Stepfamily Living (stepfamily.asn.au)
Learn All You Can About Stepfamily Living (tipsandsteps.com)
Answered: Discipline for Stepchildren (stepfamily.asn.au)

Stepfamilies – Coping with the Past

StepfamilyZone — Sun, 27 May 2012 23:39:46 +0000

It is important to allow for past experiences as much as possible. For example, children who were exposed to violence in their original family may take a long time to be able to really trust a new step-parent. This has nothing to do with the step-parent, but is a legacy of the past.

It is often tempting to not talk about the past as it holds painful memories. Yet it is best for the new partner to know about past difficulties. Children should also know if they are old enough. This helps to minimise secrets and taboo topics of conversation, both of which can lead to tension and difficulty. The new stepfamily also needs to work out ways of coping with contact between children and their other parent.

Source: Relationships Australia

Questions to consider before forming a stepfamily (stepfamilymagazine.com)
Stepfamily Life: Allowing God to Guide Our Stepfamily (stepfamilymagazine.com)
Stepfamilies and Blended Families – Are They Harmful to Children (stepfamilymagazine.com)
Better Health Channel – Stepfamilies (stepfamilyzone.com.au)
Stepfamily Resources: Five Ways to Create Stronger Stepfamily Relationships (stepfamilymagazine.com)

Step-Relationships Change as Time Passes – Stepfamily

John Faulkner — Thu, 17 May 2012 08:42:49 +0000

Step-Relationships Change as Time Passes

Posted: April 10th, 2012, 3:58pm UTC by Step Parenting with Grace

Our family enjoyed a long Easter week-end with four of our five children home.
As I watched our kids interact, I couldn't help but reminisce of times past when
we encountered constant bickering and conflict among them. But now, with
four of our children in their young adult years and only one child at home,
the relationships have [...]

Step-Relationships Change as Time Passes

Isn’t the Nuclear Family the Best for Children? – Stepfamily

John Faulkner — Wed, 09 May 2012 22:17:28 +0000

Structure of the family does not determine how happy or socially well adjusted our children will be.

Researchers consistently tell us over and over again that the structure of the family (i.e., nuclear, single parent, stepfamily) does not determine how happy, how academically proficient, or how socially well-adjusted our children will be.

There has been no consistent evidence from these or many other indicators, that children from nuclear families fare better than those from single parent or second marriage families.

What researchers continue to find is that exposure to prolonged conflict is harmful for children and that it is the quality of relationships, not the type of family, that makes a difference to the psychological well-being of children.

This is not to say that divorce is an easy event in the lives of those involved. It is not.

We need to get a lot better at working out the painful or difficult aspects of these transitions in order to provide secure family lives for our children and to enjoy the remainder of our longer lives.

We also need to get a lot better at working out the relationships of all the individuals involved in stepfamilies.

Given that most of us will experience one directly or indirectly, we must learn how to support and nurture them.

Read more

Put on your thick skin – Stepfamily Tips

John Faulkner — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 01:40:23 +0000

The older the stepchild, the more likely they are not to accept you or your efforts to enter into things they enjoy. Be understanding of their need for independence, as well as encouraging and thankful for any time you are given.

http://stepfamily911.com/uploads/Playtime_article.pdf

Joseph StepFamily Ministries – Stepfamily Resources

John Faulkner — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 01:17:30 +0000

Joseph StepFamily Ministries was founded in 2006 by Todd and Tammy Gangl and our six children. We are a stepfamily, married in February of 2004. With what was nothing short of the grace of God, we combined Tammy's family of three with my family of five to create a rather large stepfamily of eight.

Having been an Air Force Reserve Chaplain before my divorce, the longing to continue ministry work was always in my heart and shortly after our new stepfamily began, I realized that calling with the founding of Jospeh StepFamily Ministries.

What makes us unique is not only that we live what we teach everyday, but that our children participate in the workshops and seminars with us. We not only share from the parents point of view about blending a family, but also from our children's point of view.

The impact of using our whole family to minister to not only stepmoms and stepdads, but also to their children, has been amazing! We continually get comments about the positive difference our children made on others with their open and honest answers to some tough questions from both the parents and teens attending the seminars.

There is nothing better than teens reaching out and ministering to teens to truly make lives change forever!

Click here for more information

Suggestions

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Retrieved from "http://www.stepfamilymagazine.com/wiki/index.php?title=Joseph_StepFamily_Ministries"

Negotiate different parenting styles – Questions and Answers

John Faulkner — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 01:01:00 +0000

What ways do you suggest to best negotiate different parenting styles and parenting histories that each single parent family brings forward into the new relationship?

The Kids Had No Choice. – Stepfamily

John Faulkner — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 01:37:41 +0000

The first rule to be a good stepmom is to know that the kids had no choice.

They didn't choose me. I chose them and their father.

To expect the kids to be sensible and care enough to accept me and draw me into the family would be unrealistic and idealistic.

Unless I married a 60 year old man and his kids are all grown up with families themselves, the kids are not going to hug me enthusiastically and say welcome to the family.

This was the first thing I had to learn to accept.

Source: Story of Bing

It is very true, and it is something that as stepparents we should always be mindful of that fact.

What do you think?

Be Accepted As a Step Parent – Stepfamily

John Faulkner — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 10:45:12 +0000

You’ve found the perfect man or woman for you, but nowadays, many people in a relationship have children from a “previous”. Here’s how to be a step-parent to all ages with as little conflict as possible.

Steps

Don’t expect them to call you Mom/Dad straight away, if at all. After divorces or the death of a parent, most children don’t understand the logic behind their Mom/Dad marrying again.
If you don’t approve of your husband/wife’s previous spouse, don’t say so in front of the children. This will just cause them to either dislike you greatly or parrot to the parent in question, causing unneeded trouble.
Don’t be upset or disheartened by negative reaction. The child hasn’t got a disliking of you as a person. Their childish logic sees you as an enemy for trying to be a new Mom/Dad (although you are not), and they may take their unhappiness out on you.
On the other hand, if the child is upset and unsettled, and wants to talk to you, embrace it. If they see you as approachable and sympathetic, they will ultimately be less hostile.
In the case of teenagers, they may say “You’re not my Mom/Dad!” when confronted with rules. This is common, so don’t snap and shout back, simply be consistent and don’t waiver, as teenagers will see it as a sign that they can walk all over you.

Tips

Be happy! Children prefer a happy and approachable adult to speak to.
Meet your boyfriend/girlfriend’s children first, don’t just turn up after dating their parent for a long time.
Find some interest that you have in common with the children. For example, if your partner’s teenage daughter likes music and you play guitar, offer to teach her, or if she likes books, talk about some classic titles with her.

Warnings

The children may never fully accept you. Be prepared for that.
It will be tiring and upsetting at first, but persevere.
Shouting back in an argument with the child will just make it worse.
Never criticise the children to your partner, they will see them as faultless, as they are his/her children, and he/she has known them all their lives.
Never order the children to call you Mom/Dad. This will just make them more determined not to.

Retrieved from “http://tipsandsteps.com/Be_Accepted_As_a_Step_Parent“

Balance Work and Parenting As a Single Parent – parenting

John Faulkner — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 03:25:54 +0000

Are you a single parent who is tired of hiring babysitter after babysitter and never getting to spend time with your little angel? Always feeling burnt out? Never feel like you are going to catch up? Read on!

Steps

Write down a list of all of your commitments and responsibilities and analyse it. The big commitments are easy to identify: working, volunteering, appointments, and activities. Don’t forget to put the day to day stuff like laundry, dishes, and shopping on your list as well.
Analyse your list of commitments. Is there anything on that list that you can resign from, delegate to someone else, or hire help with? Are there things you can rearrange or group together to save time doing or getting to? Make the necessary changes to your schedule.
Buy a clean new calendar. Any calendar with space to write down what needs to get done will work. Weekly calendars work best.
On your new calendar, start with writing your work schedule on it and then filling in the commitments that you have decided to keep. Colour coding helps to identify the different types of commitments you have.
Hire or set up someone to be the primary caregiver (daycare, grandmother, friend or relative) when you are away and set the pay rate in advance. Target obtaining services for the time that you need someone on a regular basis to watch your child, usually during your work hours. If money is tight and you have to pay for someone to watch your child, target using a regular service only for your work hours and then promptly pick up your child after work. Hire an occasional sitter for special occasions.
Try to line up about 3-5 people that you can call to watch the little one in different situations that may come up..and they will.
Do something fun with with your child every week. It does not have to be expensive, but try to vary the activities instead of doing the same thing every week. It will give you both something to look forward to and will relieve stress.
Always plan a month or two ahead, if possible. If you don’t have childcare planned well in advance it will be much more difficult to find someone to watch the baby.
Ask your boss/supervisor if you may be able to bring your child to work once in a while. Ask for a schedule change, if that would help.
Spend undivided time with your chid every day. If the child, especially younger children and babies becomes to used to another person, instead of their parent, they could become more attached to the other caretaker.
Make sure your child is happy, even if you have had a bad day and are tired. You will enjoy your rest even more once you know your child is happy. Your children’s smile is well worth what you are going through right now.

Tips

Colour code your calendar with doctor’s visits, work days, holidays, days off, etc.
Always make sure that baby gets your undivided attention and affection for at least 1 hour a day.
Hire or accept offers for help. It is amazing how much of a difference having an extra set of hands around for even an hour makes. Think about hiring a responsible neighborhood teenager to play or entertain your child while you get caught up on household chores.
Always thank the people who do help you. Helping you is something they don’t have to do. Be mindful that their help might not be the way you may do something, but help getting a job done is much better than having do everything yourself.
Choose your battles and don’t waste time on the ones that you can’t win or get you to where you want to be. Same goes for friends, family, and obligations.
Keep items that you need to drop off in your car, a box in the trunk or passenger seat works great so they don’t get lost. Combine trips to drop off items with your regular errands to save time and gas.
Make and freeze meals in advance. Not only is this a great time and money saver, eatting home cooked meals is usually healthier for you and your child too!
Get organized! Save time by knowing where everything is and having a place for everything so you don’t waste time searching for items you need.

Warnings

Don’t stress out when you do this, just relax and plan your schedule. Things get easier when you write them down and you are actually honest with yourself that you may be over committed.
If things don’t work out, do be afraid to go back to what you were doing before. However, try giving any new plan at least a month or so to work. Just because the first day didn’t go as planned doesn’t mean the next day won’t be fantastic.

Things You’ll Need

A calendar
Markers to work with the calendar colour code system
A babysitter, a daycare, or a nearby relative
Pen and paper

Related Tips and Steps

Retrieved from “http://tipsandsteps.com/Balance_Work_and_Parenting_As_a_Single_Parent“

Stepfamily Zone Australia » Home

Blending Families Stepfamily Course Tasmania

When

Where

Cost

Course Description

What your course will cover

What to bring

Important information

For more information or to enrol please call Relationships Australia Tasmania on: (03) 6211 4050

Related

Related articles

Stepfamilies – Coping with the Past

Related articles

Step-Relationships Change as Time Passes – Stepfamily

Step-Relationships Change as Time Passes

Posted: April 10th, 2012, 3:58pm UTC by Step Parenting with Grace

Step-Relationships Change as Time Passes

Isn’t the Nuclear Family the Best for Children? – Stepfamily

Put on your thick skin – Stepfamily Tips

Joseph StepFamily Ministries – Stepfamily Resources

Suggestions

Related

Negotiate different parenting styles – Questions and Answers

The Kids Had No Choice. – Stepfamily

Be Accepted As a Step Parent – Stepfamily

Steps

Tips

Warnings

Balance Work and Parenting As a Single Parent – parenting

Steps

Tips

Warnings

Things You’ll Need

Related Tips and Steps