FamilyLife Blended® Podcast

The journey into a blended family is full of bumps and bruises—for someone anyway. Unpacking those for yourself, your kids, your new spouse is part of readying yourself and your family for stepfamily living. In this episode, Craig and Gina Morgan talk with Ron Deal and unpack some of their baggage and invite you to do the same as you listen. Show Notes and Resources Get Craig and Gina's book, "Building Blocks to Making the Family WHOLE Again." https://www.amazon.com/Building-Blocks-Making-Family-WHOLE/dp/1733804013 Visit the Morgan's ministry, Blended Together Forever. https://blendedtogether.org/ Get Ron's book, The Smart Stepfamily. https://shop.familylife.com/p-3625-the-smart-stepfamily.aspx Get Ron's Daily Encouragement for the Smart StepFamily. https://shop.familylife.com/p-5224-daily-encouragement-for-the-smart-stepfamily.aspx Learn more about the April 2021 Blended and Blessed Livestream event. https://www.blendedandblessed.com/ Visit FamilyLife Blended® online for articles, videos, and resources for blended families. https://www.familylife.com/blended Help strengthen stepfamilies by donating to FamilyLife Blended. https://donate.familylife.com/blended/?cru_source=D000BLENDGandcru_medium=DesktopHeaderNavandcru_campaign=Blended See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy

Did you know that 1 in 6 children have some form of learning disability and some form of developmental disability, according to the CDC? Dr. Stephanie Holmes is a professional counselor and mom to a child with autism and talks with Ron Deal to give tips, understanding, and perspective on raising kids with autism in a blended family. Show Notes and Resources Learn more about Stephanie Holmes and her ministry. counselorstephanieholmes.com Read Ron and Stephanie's article: Autism and the blended family. https://www.familylife.com/articles/topics/blended-family/stepparents/multiple-home-realities/autism-and-the-blended-family/ Get Ron's book, The Smart Stepfamily. https://shop.familylife.com/p-3625-the-smart-stepfamily.aspx Get Ron's Daily Encouragement for the Smart StepFamily. https://shop.familylife.com/p-5224-daily-encouragement-for-the-smart-stepfamily.aspx Get the 2020 Summit on Stepfamily Ministry All-Access Pass. https://shop.familylife.com/p-5938-all-access-pass-summit-2020.aspx Your generous support of FamilyLife helps create podcasts like the FamilyLife Blended® Podcast. https://donate.familylife.com/blended/?cru_source=D000BLENDGandcru_medium=Podcastandcru_campaign=Blended See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy

Blended family Christmases with adult children don't always go so well, especially in the early years. Adult children bring their own needs, wants, opinions, and agendas to the family and when those wants clash with the wants of the parents, conflict erupts. In this powerful episode, Ron Deal speaks with Bob and Vicki Maday and two of their adult daughters about their holiday challenges and how they worked through their differences to find a win-win for both the parents and the children. Show Notes and Resources Read various articles on Adult Stepfamilies with topics including: money, dating, and the holidays. https://www.familylife.com/articles/topics/blended-family/ Read Ron's article: Second-Half Stepfamilies. https://www.familylife.com/articles/topics/blended-family/stepparents/developing-a-relationship-with-stepchildren/second-half-stepfamilies/ Visit FamilyLife Blended® online for articles, videos, and resources for blended families. https://www.familylife.com/blended Get the all new FamilyLife App! https://www.familylife.com/app/ Join the FamilyLife Blended Christmas Match and help expand stepfamily ministry! https://donate.familylife.com/blended/?cru_source=D000BLENDGandcru_medium=DesktopHeaderNavandcru_campaign=Blended Donate to FamilyLife Blended by phone 1-800-358-6329. See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy

Do differences in your marriage ever make you feel disconnected? Blended family couples have so many things related to step-ness that they need to manage, the last thing you need is to be irritated with one another about differences-or drift away from each other. In this episode, Neil and Sharol Josephson speak with Ron Deal and offer valuable tips on managing and overcoming a drift in marriage. Show Notes and Resources Learn more about Neil and Sharol and FamilyLife Canada. https://www.familylifecanada.com/ Read Neil's Article - Differences and Drift: Wisdom for the Challenges Every Marriage Faces. https://www.familylifecanada.com/marriage/differences-drift/ Learn more about The Smart Stepfamily Marriage book. https://shop.familylife.com/p-4114-the-smart-stepfamily-marriage.aspx Get the all new FamilyLife App! https://www.familylife.com/app/ Join the FamilyLife Blended Christmas Match and help expand stepfamily ministry! https://donate.familylife.com/blended/?cru_source=D000BLENDGandcru_medium=DesktopHeaderNavandcru_campaign=Blended Donate to FamilyLife Blended by phone 1-800-358-6329. See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy

Imagine you have a relationship with your father for many years, then find out there are family secrets that will dramatically change your relationship and life. Stepfamily instability can bring confusion and shame to both children and adults. But God works in and through imperfect people and families. Listen to Ron Deal's conversation with Ray and Robin McKelvy and how God's love and grace brought resilience and redemption to their stepfamily story. Show Notes and Resources Episode 2: Life in a Blender with Dave and Ann Wilson.  https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/2-life-in-a-blender-dave-and-ann-wilson/ Episode 14: In Their Shoes with Lauren Reitsema.  https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/14-in-their-shoes/ Episode 28: Growing Up in a Blender with David Bowden and Ryan Guinee.  https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/28-growing-up-in-a-blender/ Learn more about Robyn McKelvy and her ministry. https://robynmckelvy.com/ You can get the poem Ray quoted, The Secret, in Robyn's book SOS: Sick of Sex. https://robynmckelvy.com/books/ Check out the Blended Family Ministry Map to find ministries and events in your area. https://www.familylife.com/familylifeblended/find-an-event/#blendedmap Learn more about the online courses FamilyLife has to offer. https://www.familylife.com/learn Your generous support of FamilyLife helps create podcasts like the FamilyLife Blended® Podcast. https://donate.familylife.com/familylife-blended/ See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy

Did you know the military has a high-rate of couples in stepfamilies? Did you know that military personnel marry, divorce, and remarry at a younger age and more frequently than civilians do? Todd Gangl, co-founder of Military Ready Stepfamily, talks with Ron Deal about the added stressors military stepfamilies experience and how these families can create a healthy stepfamily culture that gives everyone the opportunity to bond, even amidst the challenges. Show Notes and Resources Learn more about The Military Ready Stepfamily and how to create a Stepfamily Care Plan. https://www.themilitaryreadystepfamily.com/ Learn about the resource When War Comes Home. https://shop.familylife.com/p-1559-when-war-comes-home.aspx Learn more about the Restored and Remarried resource. https://gilandbrenda.com/restored-remarried/ Learn about the Combat Trauma Healing Manual. https://crumilitary.org/product/combat-trauma-healing-manual/ Resources from Tammy and Jay Daughtry. http://modernfamilydynamics.com/about/ Learn more about the online courses FamilyLife has to offer. https://www.familylife.com/learn Your generous support of FamilyLife helps create podcasts like the FamilyLife Blended® Podcast. https://donate.familylife.com/familylife-blended/ Visit FamilyLife Blended® online for articles, videos, and resources for blended families. https://www.familylife.com/blended See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy

We can't help but live in a social culture. For blended families, that culture often includes multiple homes, ambiguous roles of parents and stepparents, and lots of moving parts. Listen in while Ron Deal talks with pediatrician Dr. Meg Meeker on how parents and stepparents can protect their kids from the culture and make a lasting impact on those in their home. Show Notes and Resources Learn more about Dr. Meg Meeker's book: Raising a Strong Daughter in a Toxic Culture: 11 Steps to Keep Her Happy, Healthy, and Safe. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1621575039/ Check out Dr. Meg Meeker's podcast. https://www.meekerparenting.com/podcast Podcast #26: Two Homes, Two Sets of Values: From a Child’s Point of View. https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/26-two-homes-two-sets-of-values-from-a-childs-point-of-view/ Visit FamilyLife Blended® online for articles, videos, and resources for blended families. https://www.familylife.com/blended Learn more about FamilyLife's Art of Parenting®. https://www.familylife.com/parenting/register/ Watch blended family parenting tips from Ron Deal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1r30g9sMm4andlist=PLoZ3uqAYX8EHZjGMdaSq55x93sOyetX7c See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy

Our world expects moms and stepmoms to be against each other. The social media club of "let's bash the mom or stepmom and commiserate together" is alive and well. But when a mom and stepmom don't play that game-when they find a way past resentment and appreciate what each offers the children, and cooperate on behalf of the child-people take notice and the world celebrates a small victory. In this episode, Ron Deal speaks with Jessica Patterson, a licensed counselor and mom and stepmom about how to mitigate the battle of the moms. Show Notes and Resources Learn more about Jessica Patterson. https://www.newlifecounselingcenter.com/ Article: Battle of the Moms in a Blended family. https://www.familylife.com/articles/topics/blended-family/stepparents/multiple-home-realities/battle-of-the-moms-in-a-blended-family/ The Smart Stepmom by Ron Deal and Laura Petherbridge.  https://shop.familylife.com/p-5665-the-smart-stepmom.aspx Listen to episode "21: Stepfamilies and The Holidays". https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/21-stepfamilies-and-the-holidays/ Visit FamilyLife Blended® online for articles, videos, and resources for blended families. https://www.familylife.com/blended See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy

For most of us, grandparents are fabulous! They are the adults who love us, but don't have to discipline us, and because they don't have to take us home, relish the chance to spoil us. Stepgrandparenting can be all that if everyone agrees that it can-and everyone wants it to happen. Listen in on this episode while Ron Deal talks with Gordon and Carrie Taylor about the unique aspects of grandparenting in blended families. Show Notes and Resources Learn more about Gordon and Carri Taylor's ministry Opportunities Unlimited.  http://www.cgtaylor.com/ Read about stepgrandparenting and how to bring the outsider in. https://smartstepfamilies.com/smart-help/learn/special-topics/stepgrandparenting-bringing-the-outsider-in Learn more about blended family resources. https://shop.familylife.com/Products.aspx?categoryid=171 Learn more about the Legacy Coalition. https://legacycoalition.com/ Learn more about the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry.  https://www.summitonstepfamilies.com/ Visit FamilyLife Blended® online for articles, videos, and resources for blended families. https://www.familylife.com/blended See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy

Whatever we invest ourselves on a regular basis-our habits-not only become commonplace, but actually shape our decisions and our relationships. What are the habits-the daily practices-of your marriage? And how can they make your blended family marriage stronger? In this episode, Ron Deal talks with marriage and family therapist and stepfamily coach, Jayna Haney, and her husband Mike about intentional daily habits that have strengthened their marriage and stepfamily relationships over time. Show Notes and Resources Learn more about Mike and Jayna Haney. https://www.thebridgeacross.com Check out Jayna's blog. https://www.jaynahaney.com/2020/05/15/feeling-left-out-make-more-time-with-your-spouse/ The Smart Stepfamily Marriage by Ron Deal.  https://shop.familylife.com/p-4114-the-smart-stepfamily-marriage.aspx Learn more about the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry.  https://www.summitonstepfamilies.com/ Visit FamilyLife Blended® online for articles, videos, and resources for blended families. https://www.familylife.com/blended See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy