Stepparenting is not hard because you're doing it wrong. Stepparenting is hard because it's an entirely different family structure and dynamic than we've experienced before. Today, I'm joined by arguably the foremost expert on stepfamily dynamics, Dr. Patricia Papernow, to discuss 5 challenges stepfamilies face. We're normalizing the challenges you struggle with and talking all about what works and what doesn't work! Dr. Patricia Papernow is an internationally recognized expert on stepfamilies. She teaches all over the U.S. and the world about best practices for meeting stepfamily challenges integrating the now considerable research with her own four-plus decades of clinical work. She loves putting this good information into the hands of people in stepfamilies!   Patricia has written dozens of articles and book chapters and has authored the leading books in the field: Surviving and Thriving in Stepfamily Relationships: What Works and What Doesn’t, and, with Karen Bonnell, The Stepfamily Handbook: From Dating to Getting Serious to Forming a “Blended Family.”  She is the recipient of awards for Distinguished Contribution to Family Psychology from the American Psychological Association and the award for Distinguished Contribution to Family Therapy Theory and Practice from the American Family Therapy Academy. Links Mentioned: stepfamilyrelationships.com Surviving and Thriving in Stepfamily Relationships: What Works and What Doesn’t Book (affiliate): https://amzn.to/3PLSuYk The Stepfamily Handbook: From Dating to Getting Serious to Forming a “Blended Family” Book (affiliate): https://amzn.to/48IKC2y Ready to create a stepmom life you love? Grab my FREE GUIDE 15 Ways to Become a Happier Stepmom Overnight: https://stepmomming.com/happier Let’s work together: https://stepmomming.com/quick-links/ Join our FREE support group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stepmommingainteasy Here's something I wish I learned a lot sooner... I have control over my stepmom life. And once I found it, everything changed. I want to help you find it, too! Our signature program helping stepmoms claim control is BACK for a limited time! Join Control Freak Collective now: https://stepmomming.thrivecart.com/control-freak-collective-april-24/.