Avoid Stepparent Issues: Some Do’s and Don’ts on Raising your Stepkids

When it comes to family life, blog writer Lee Rose Emery has likely seen it all. She grew up in what most people would call a “traditional” family where people are primarily related by blood; while her husband grew up in a “blended” family, or one that includes step relatives, like step-siblings, stepparents, and others. As a mother herself, Emery recognizes the difficulties of parenting in a traditional family like her own. This has led her to wonder about the kind of challenges that scores of stepparents all over the world experience, including how they forge meaningful relationships within their families, most notably their stepchildren.
http://www.thebridgeacross.com/2015/01/29/avoid-stepparent-issues-some-dos-and-donts-on-raising-your-stepkids/

Single Parent Help Offers Guidance in Adjusting to a New Way of Life

The impact of divorce is partly dependent on the number of people involved. While it takes only two to divorce, others who also have a stake in your union may also be affected. Foremost among these “others” are your children. How does one properly break the news of divorce to the children? Marriage and family experts will agree that there's no single answer to this. First of all, the reactions could differ according to the children's age. Psychologists say that a child aged 6 to 11 may blame one parent, while kids aged 3 to 6 might blame themselves. While it may be impossible to spare children of the pain of the divorce, breaking the news to them the right way can help make the situation less difficult for all.
http://www.thebridgeacross.com/2015/01/22/single-parent-help-offers-guidance-in-adjusting-to-a-new-way-of-life/

Remarried and Single Parent Problems: Fathers and Their Powerful Words

Many experts say that one of the primary differences between men and women in relationships is that women talk and men do. I believe this is true for most. When a woman is struggling or dealing with one of the many high conflict exes in Houston, she wants to talk. When a man is struggling, he needs to do. Our brains are simply hardwired differently. Understanding this difference is a key to happiness in our relationships with our children. I've learned from many dads that I have worked with that divorced fathers and remarried fathers may sometimes struggle with the talking concept, something that may also be considered as among the most common single parent problems. They feel limited by their time, influence and role in their children's lives, and want to say powerful things to their children but sometimes, don't know how.
http://www.thebridgeacross.com/2015/03/23/remarried-and-single-parent-problems-fathers-and-their-powerful-words/

Be Center or Be Centered: A Stepmother’s Role in Houston Stepfamilies

The greatest attributes about women make it hard for them in families, particularly in new Houston stepfamilies. The way we think about our role as the stepmother and family member can greatly affect our happiness and satisfaction with our life. Being aware of them can make all the difference – no matter what kind of family you are in. Shift your thinking on these ideas, and make your life better. Women are raised in our society to be the center of the family. And the struggle of the stepmother begins. To most women, this means taking her rightful place as the creator of a loving home and beautiful family, and partnering with her husband to make the home run smoothly.
http://www.thebridgeacross.com/2015/03/26/be-center-or-be-centered-a-stepmothers-role-in-houston-stepfamilies/

Effective Single Parent Help: The Importance of Structured Workshops

As of the last U.S. Census Bureau tally, there are about 13 million single parent households in the U.S. If you are among them, there are certain challenges you will face, whether the setup is by choice or by circumstance. If you want the best for you and your child, you need to find ways to overcome these challenges. There are many strategies you may want to consider in successfully running a single-parent family. An article in the OMTimes Magazine, an information resource for different aspects of conscious living, presents some of these strategies and some important pointers, including the following:
http://www.thebridgeacross.com/2015/03/25/effective-single-parent-help-the-importance-of-structured-workshops-2/

Renowned Coach on Dealing with Exes to Provide Counseling Sessions

The Bridge Across, a trusted counseling center in Texas which aims to help divorced individuals in dealing with exes effectively as well as provide life coaching to stepfamilies and single parents, is glad to announce that its very own Jayna Haney will also be offering sessions at Shield Bearer Counselling Centers through May 8. Haney’s expertise will further enhance the center’s programs, with a central goal of building better communities through healthier families.
http://www.thebridgeacross.com/2015/03/24/renowned-coach-on-dealing-with-exes-to-provide-counseling-sessions/

Tips for Solving Single Parent Problems from High Conflict Divorces

Married couples with a high conflict relationship lead a tough life with their family, with one or both partners inflicting pain on the other. To save what’s left of the family (or his/her sanity), the rational spouse would resort to divorce and bring up their children on his/her own. Single parenthood, after all, seems like a more desirable option than staying in an unhealthy relationship. Raising the children, providing food and shelter, and giving time to oneself are a few of the common struggles of single parenthood. Friends, relatives and neighbors would give most single parents a hand in no time, but professional help can ease the burden of certain single parent problems more easily. Single parents starting anew can also recover faster from the troubles of separation when they’re guided by people who are more experienced in their situation.
http://www.thebridgeacross.com/2015/03/11/tips-for-solving-single-parent-problems-from-high-conflict-divorces/