As a step daughter and step grand daughter, I followed the examples that were set for me years before when I became a step parent. The way my stepson finally came to love and respect me as his step mother, was through all of the "trying" experiences we had. Excuse the pun, but raising kids is a very trying experience!
One of the first times my stepson "tried" or tested my word and consistency was over catching the school bus. Nick was not a morning person and that made getting up in time for school in the morning a problem. Myself having lunches to pack, and two other kids who were already responsible for getting themselves up, Nick knew that I expected him to do his thing in the morning. When he missed the bus the first time, I informed him that I would drive him to school that one time, and one time only!
Just a couple of weeks later on another early school morning, I could tell Nick was going to miss the bus if he didn't move a lot faster and told him so. I left it at that, went about my business, and sure enough Nick came to me with a sorrowful look on his face saying that he had missed the bus. I said, "You had better get your rollerblades on then or you will be late for the start of school!" Nick was incredulous and asked if I was sure I could not take him to school, and I told him that he got his one and only ride the first time he missed the bus and he better get a move on.
His next excuse was that he was going to be all sweaty if he had to blade all the way to school (about 4 miles), and I told him to take an extra shirt. When next I saw him, he was sitting on the curb in front of our house lacing his skates up, shirt off, back pack at the ready and I watched him skate off down the road with a smile on my face.
He had just experienced the result of testing my consistency as a step parent and found that it was the same as my habit with my biological kids! Whether they know it or not, all kids feel safe, special, and protected when rule is consistently applied.
Sandy Williams, Life Coach at International Stepfamily Foundation, member of Stepfamily Association of America & founder of http://www.stepfamilysuccess.com
limo prices to midway Crystal Lake west of Randal .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareI have always found the notion of toilet training a... Read More
A small town, somewhere in the world, was managed by... Read More
Have you ever watched your teenager make a mistake (that... Read More
Reading is the most important skill that a child must... Read More
Certainly we all want our children to excel. But it... Read More
My thirteen-year-old daughter recently called me up to say she... Read More
OK, moms and dads out there, we hear you when... Read More
One of the most difficult parts of being a father... Read More
Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes around the brain... Read More
The First Reason: For one thing, child development experts are... Read More
Home, home on the range, Where never is heard A... Read More
Optimists do better academically, socially and enjoy better health than... Read More
In our last article about the neurology of ADHD we... Read More
The following spelling games can be used by parents to... Read More
Wooden toys are one of the best alternatives for the... Read More
Every year over one million parents have to talk to... Read More
There's a new trend for party entertainment. It seems as... Read More
Kitchens are where everything happens. It's not just where meals... Read More
Q. How do we decide what our teens should be... Read More
The legend and myth of the Tooth Fairy is a... Read More
Q. I don't like my children spending so much time... Read More
There are many reasons for treating your twins as individuals... Read More
Ever feel like you're out of the loop when it... Read More
Ritalin has been shown through the years to be very... Read More
How would you like to have a closer relationship with... Read More
taxi o'hare Auburn ..I have a bit of a different response than most... Read More
It is so important to create an environment that promotes... Read More
Every children in the world whishes to have toys and... Read More
Research published by University of Rochester neuroscientists C. Shawn Green... Read More
Looking back through my files I've come across several great... Read More
Choosing a baby name is an important job, so make... Read More
Quite simply, an absolute nightmare for parents and babies alike,... Read More
Is there anything wrong with lying, cheating, stealing, shop-lifting, taking... Read More
The human brain never actually stops developing. Beginning formation in... Read More
4 traps to avoidTrap 1 - Parents need to realize... Read More
Impulsivity is one of the hallmarks of people with Attention... Read More
Q. We recently caught our son smoking pot, and we... Read More
It can be difficult on all family members to have... Read More
In "The Ring Bear," a picture book by Tigard resident... Read More
This can be a very complicated issue, so I don't... Read More
In theory, working at home is an ideal situation. But... Read More
You can learn a lot from children.The best part of... Read More
It can be hard being a parent with a teen... Read More
On one of her quarterly visits to see her grandson,... Read More
When choosing the perfect jogging stroller, a very important question... Read More
Annie easily slipped into becoming the sole caregiver of her... Read More
Everyone in a private practice setting who works with children... Read More
Saturday mornings. Cold cereal and Scooby Doo. How many parents... Read More
How excited do kids get with the start of school... Read More
Research has shown that the present generation of children worldwide... Read More
Parenting |