Episode 14-Bonding Part 1-Stepparent and Stepchild
Blended Family Podcast
English - February 16, 2015 08:00 - 16 minutes - 7.71 MB - ★★★★★ - 156 ratingsParenting Kids & Family Education Self-Improvement finance business success marketing entrepreneurship leadership health entrepreneur careeradvice Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
It is so important to bond with your stepchildren. Your stepchildren will always be a part of your partners life, therefore will be a part of yours. We are all built with an innate quality to love and cherish our children unconditionally. We don’t have the same built in feelings about stepchildren. The relationship with our stepchildren needs work to grow.
Age plays a big role in how we bond with stepchildren.
Elementary school kids are easiest to adapt to their parents new partner. At this age, children are less judgemental and more willing to give and receive love. The best ways to bond with children this age are to do a lot of talking and listening. Discipline is also essential at this age to help establish respect and boundaries. Other ideas are to play together, take part in their daily rituals, or bake something in the kitchen. Love, interest, and attention is what they need to help form a bond.
Pre teens and teenagers are an entirely different situation when it comes to establishing bonds. They can hardly bond with their own biological parents at this age. If they are being difficult, you can’t force a bond. What you can do is gently attempt to connect. Try to engage or start lighthearted conversations, make them a favorite meal, and take an interest in their life. Don’t be discouraged by a moody or angry teenager. They will grow up, and most likely will appreciate your previous efforts.
Adult children who are over 18 can be harder to bond with, as they will be moved on and involved in their own lives at this point. Honor the relationship they have formed with your partner over the years. You can invite them over for holidays and dinners to get opportunities to get to know them better.
If everything you try does not result in a successful stepparent and stepchild relationship, your relationship with your partner doesn’t need to suffer. Everyone in the home should always maintain a level of respect towards one another as a rule. Therapy is a useful tool, and sometimes time makes all the difference. Never give up on trying to bond as a family unit, and working on the special bond between a stepparent and stepchild.
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