Resources Youth & Singles Pre-married Couples Married Couples Parents & Families Step Families Marriage Investors Northwest Marriage & Family Movement The Campaign Community Transformation Plans Regional Marriage Promotion Leadership Training & Resources National Movement Learn More Our Mission Our Board & Staff Premier Partners Ways to Support Media & Publications Issues & Research Articles Employment Opportunities Speech Request Contact Us The Unique Challenges of Stepfamilies - Part 2 July 29, 2003  Click to hear the show.  Requires the RealPlayer from RealNetworks. Transcript No one grows up aiming to create a stepfamily. But with the joy of a new marriage often comes challenges that can be overwhelming. Members of a new blended family are forced to navigate through a minefield of change long before the safety nets of trust are in place. At this time each member faces many challenges as they try to identify who they are, and what their new role is. For many, the loss of security caused by the break-up of the initial family causes them to feel too threatened to allow an easy transition. Fearful, defensive and angry behavior among kids commonly results in the classic response, “You’re not my dad or mom!” Drawing from researchers and clinicians, family counselor Jerry Devine encourages stepfamilies to expect these difficult challenges and patiently work on developing their family’s comfort - a process which may take up to 5 years. *Families Northwest recommends "The Smart Stepfamily" by Ron Deal as a great resource for stepfamily couples. What station did you hear us on? --choose one--KACS FMKARY FMKBAM AMKBBO AMKBSN AMKDRM FMKEDO AMKELA AMKGY FMKGY AMKITI FMKITI AMKJOX AMKKSN FMKLAY AMKLRFKLTR FMKLYK FMKMAS AMKMBI FMKMBI AMKMLW FMKNCW FMKOLU FMKOMW AMKONA FMKONA AMKOZI FMKOZI AMKPDQ FMKPDQ AMKRQT FMKRSE FMKSBN AMKSPL FMKTSL FMKUJ AMKULE FMKULE AMKVAN AMKWIQ FMKWIQ AMKWPZ FMKXDD FMKXLE FMKXLE AMKXLY FMKXLY FMKXLY AMKZBE FMKZNX FMKZOE FM Its Your Turn... please give us your comments, questions, or suggestions for family matters. (response limit: 1000 characters)