Today on Stepfamily Central, Rachelle (http://www.stepsforstepmothers.com/coaching.html) continues her conversation with Dr. Jeannette Lofas, (http://www.stepfamily.org) and talks to her about the pros and cons of joint custody when couples divorce. Jeannette is affectionately considered to be the wise woman of the stepfamily community and is a leading authority on stepfamilies. In fact, she won a presidential award for her work. She has written five books: among which is Living in Step,...

Kids are vulnerable when their parents divorce and can be effected by it for many years. Today on Stepfamily Central, Rachelle (http://www.stepsforstepmothers.com/coaching.html)discusses what children can experience when their parents divorce, as well as how they can be helped, with Dr. Jeannette Lofas. (http://www.stepfamily.org) Jeannette is affectionately considered to be the wise woman of the stepfamily community and is a leading authority on stepfamilies. In fact, she won a presidential...

In stepfamilies, it’s common for biological mothers and stepmothers to compare themselves to each other; sometimes intense rivalries can develop. Biological dads and stepfathers are not immune to competitive and jealous feelings. Today on Stepfamily Central, Rachelle (http://www.stepsforstepmothers.com/coaching.html)talks to Joel Schwartzberg (http://www.bookfordad.com) about a biological dad’s perspective of stepfathers. Joel is a father of three, and is an award winning humorist and...

In stepfamilies, it’s common for biological mothers and stepmothers to compare themselves to each other; sometimes intense rivalries can develop. Biological dads and stepfathers are not immune to competitive and jealous feelings. Today on Stepfamily Central, Rachelle talks to Joel Schwartzberg about a biological dad’s perspective of stepfathers. Joel is a father of three, and is an award winning humorist and essayist. His work has appeared in Newsweek, the New York Times Magazine, New Jersey...

Divorce is a tough situation, especially if you have kids. It’s difficult to be away from them, whether it's for a small or large amount of time. Since non-custodial parents spend less time with their children, they have fewer opportunities to get to know what makes them tick. This can be extremely frustrating for that parent. Today on Stepfamily Central, Rachelle (http://www.stepsforstepmothers.com/coaching.html) talks to Joel Schwartzberg, (http://www.bookfordad.com) a father of three, and...

Divorce is a tough situation, especially if you have kids. It’s difficult to be away from them, whether it's for a small or large amount of time. Since non-custodial parents spend less time with their children, they have fewer opportunities to get to know what makes them tick. This can be extremely frustrating for that parent. Today on Stepfamily Central, Rachelle talks to Joel Schwartzberg, a father of three, and an award winning humorist and essayist, about being a non-custodial parent, and...

Babies are such wonderful additions to any family. Before their births, they can bring up a host of emotions for families to experience, ranging from excitement to anxiety. While babies are welcomed with as much love into stepfamilies, these family members can experience a more diverse set of emotions. Rachelle (http://stepfamilycenter.com)talks about the variety of emotions a new baby can trigger for stepfamily members with Susan Davis Swanson, (http://stepfamilycenter.com) a...

Babies are such wonderful additions to any family. Before their births, they can bring up a host of emotions for families to experience, ranging from excitement to anxiety. While babies are welcomed with as much love into stepfamilies, these family members can experience a more diverse set of emotions. Rachelle (http://www.stepsforstepmothers.com/coaching.html) talks about the variety of emotions a new baby can trigger for stepfamily members with Susan Davis Swanson...

On this show Rachelle (http://www.stepsforstepmothers.com/coaching.html) talks to Jenna Korf (http://www.stepmomhelp.com) about her new book, Skirts at War: Beyond Divorced Mom?Stepmom Conflict. This book is an exciting addition to the stepfamily field. It focuses on how you can help yourself when the biomom or stepmom in your life doesn't meet you halfway. Jenna and coauthor, Jennifer Newcombe Marine help women identify what is creating their unhappiness and provide them with tools to feel...

On this show Rachelle talks to Jenna Korf about her new book, Skirts at War: Beyond Divorced Mom?Stepmom Conflict. This book is an exciting addition to the stepfamily field. It focuses on how you can help yourself when the biomom or stepmom in your life doesn't meet you halfway. Jenna and coauthor, Jennifer Newcombe Marine help women identify what is creating their unhappiness and provide them with tools to feel empowered again. Jenna Korf is a certified Stepfamily Foundation coach working...

Stepfamily life can be very challenging as anyone who has been part of one can attest. However, many relationships do endure the complexities and challenges of stepfamily life, and in fact thrive. What characteristics do these couples share? Rachelle (http://www.stepsforstepmothers.com/coaching.html)discusses some of the qualities that happy, healthy re-partnered couples possess with Dianne Martin (http://www.diannemartinandassociates.com), a certified stepfamily counselor and social worker....

Stepfamily life can be very challenging as anyone who has been part of one can attest. However, many relationships do endure the complexities and challenges of stepfamily life, and in fact thrive. What characteristics do these couples share? Rachelle discusses some of the qualities that happy, healthy re-partnered couples possess with Dianne Martin, a certified stepfamily counselor and social worker. Diane has a private practice in Canada where she works with individuals and couples, and also...

Many of us spend a good portion of our day feeling anger and resentful as a result of the challenges in our stepfamilies. Even though our feelings may be justified, they aren’t doing us any good. They may be contributing to all kinds of physical problems, such as heart disease and stomach ailments, and harming our relationships. Today on Stepfamily Central, Rachelle (http://www.stepsforstepmothers.com/coaching.html) talks to psychotherapist and stepfamily coach, Susan Davis Swanson...

To protect our privacy and personal space, we all need to establish clear boundaries by being able to say no to certain requests that are too difficult for us to complete. Boundaries are important in all areas of life, at work, in friendships, but they are especially important in stepfamilies, since there are so many members involved, each with a different set of potential issues. Rachelle (http://www.stepsforstepmothers.com/coaching.html) discusses how to establish clear boundaries with...

To protect our privacy and personal space, we all need to establish clear boundaries by being able to say no to certain requests that are too difficult for us to complete. Boundaries are important in all areas of life, at work, in friendships, but they are especially important in stepfamilies, since there are so many members involved, each with a different set of potential issues. Rachelle discusses how to establish clear boundaries with Jenna Korf, a certified Stepfamily Foundation coach who...

Our expectations play a large role in how we experience the present and anticipate the future. When couples remarry, most have expectations of what will take place. If these expectations don’t match the reality of what does happen, frustration, disappointment, and pain often develop. Today on Stepfamily Central, Rachelle (http://www.stepsforstepmothers.com/coaching.html) discusses a few of the more common unrealistic expectations held by stepfamilies with Dianne Martin...

Our expectations play a large role in how we experience the present and anticipate the future. When couples remarry, most have expectations of what will take place. If these expectations don’t match the reality of what does happen, frustration, disappointment, and pain often develop. Today on Stepfamily Central, Rachelle discusses a few of the more common unrealistic expectations held by stepfamilies with Dianne Martin, a certified stepfamily counselor and social worker. Diane has a private...

Do you know what emotional intelligence is? It’s an intelligence that has to do with discerning and understanding emotional information, relating well to others, and achieving your goals. Rachelle (http://www.stepsforstepmothers.com/coaching.html)discusses the importance of emotional intelligence and how stepmothers can develop more of it with Joan Sarin (http://stepmomsos.com/), a social psychologist who specializes in emotional intelligence training for children and parents. Joan is also a...

Do you know what emotional intelligence is? It’s an intelligence that has to do with discerning and understanding emotional information, relating well to others, and achieving your goals. Rachelle discusses the importance of emotional intelligence and how stepmothers can develop more of it with Joan Sarin, a social psychologist who specializes in emotional intelligence training for children and parents. Joan is also a stepfamily coach, a writer for Stepmom Magazine, and is the author of The...