Several years into my second marriage I discovered that some of my marital problems had nothing to do with my husband, Steve, or his kids. I dragged colossal emotional baggage into the marriage that I didn’t even know existed. In His perfect timing God gently...
For the first time in 6 weeks I was grateful to have a broken ankle. It gave my husband and I the perfect excuse to bow out of the, “Learn-to-trust- your–spouse-by –bungee- jumping,” exercise offered at the marriage event we were attending. We took a nap. The food was fabulous...
“Mom said if you would pay your child support we would have enough money to pay our bills and go on vacation,” 12 year old, Kaitlin expressed. “Grrrrr,” groaned stepfamilies everywhere. My own parents divorced when I was eight. As the oldest, I was placed smack dab...
“My kids are really struggling since I got remarried. My husband’s sons visit on weekends and since our wedding they are much more aggressive and cruel toward my kids. They tease and threaten them all the time,” stepmom Kimberly shared. “I had no idea getting remarried...
"Oh, Mom, the dress you bought for the wedding is gorgeous," Jessica stated. "The color is perfect; the blue makes your eyes sparkle. You look ten pounds thinner. But I’ve got some bad news," she continued. "Dad's new wife just bought the same dress for the wedding." Pausing...
“Laura, no one in my family understands what it’s like to be a stepmom,” Jennifer stated. “And why would they?” she continued. “Before we married I went to a stepfamily workshop to become educated. But I was still shocked by many of the issues we face....
“Is there someone else?” I directly asked my husband. “There could be,” He replied. “What do you mean, ‘there could be’? It’s either yes or no. Tell ME!” I raged. “Yes,” he whispered. It's been more than thirty-six years since that conversation. It was the day my marriage died, it was bludgeoned to...
"My fiancé is jealous. He gets furious when I won’t dump my friends and spend all of my free time with him,” the weeping woman shared. “I was so thrilled to have a guy who was devoted to me, that I ignored the warning signs. I...
What to Do When You Don't Know What to Do Recently, during a life coaching session a stepmom shared, “I’m at a loss over what to do with my eight-year-old stepdaughter. She has made it clear that she wants nothing to do with me. She believes...
After more than twenty-five years in divorce recovery ministry I’ve watched more marriages disintegrate than I can count. Why do these relationships fail? Listening to people who are getting divorced has helped me to uncover some of the root causes. These aren’t the obvious signs such as...