Any step parent would agree step parenting is not easy. The phrase “blended family” rarely represents the reality of two separate families with different values, traditions and routines combining into one. If you’re like most step families, your new family “blends” about as easily as oil and water. As a woman who had step parents as a child, became a step parent herself and whose daughter is now a step parent, my guest today, Michele Sfakianos (pronounced Sa-Can-is), shares how to successfully navigate the murky waters of step parenting. Michele is the author of “The 411 Guide to Step Parenting: Essential Tips on Communicating, Bonding and Combining Families”, (http://www.my411books.com) a guide she created to make this transition easier for not just step parents – but for everyone involved. As Michele warns, you not only need tough skin to be a step parent, you need the right tools and “road map” to follow. Listen to today’s show to get an inside look at what awaits you after your first marriage ends…and your new family begins.