As a step parent myself, I know what it is to feel like an outcast when you're surrounded by your husband and his kids. I also understand the complexity of feelings and the push-pull desire for relationship with the step parent. Of course, sometimes, there can also be deep resentment especially if the children feel you are responsible for their parents' breakup.
Here are 3 simple tips I gleaned from learning how to be a step parent to my husband's children:
Ask your questions about parenting step children or offer advice or support to parents who are just starting out.
Click below to see home schooling questions and tips submitted by others ...
Resentment for my Boyfriend's Daughter





I've been dating my boyfriend now for a little over 1 year. He was never married, but has a 3 year old daughter from a 4 year relationship. I also have ...
Relationship with ex-girlfriend's 9 year old daughter following a breakup of a 3-year relationship





Hi
My ex-girlfriend and I started dating a little over 3 years ago during what was the tail end of 3 year separation between her and her ex-husband....
How to Discipline Step Children





Question about How to Discipline Step Children: I have been with my boyfriend for 9 months. I have a 9 and 8 year old and he has a 8 and 6 year ...
Inappropriate comments from a father?





Is is appropriate for a father to tell his 14 year old daughter that she has the sexiest arse ever? Or to tell her that her arse looks f***king hot in ...
Mother Ready to Give Up





Mother Ready to Give Up
I have been married for 8 years and have a son from a previous marriage. My son was 7 at the time. My husband and ...
Step Son Problems





Step Son Problems
I'm at a loss here. I have a 17 year old step son. I have been with my husband for 7 years now, and have been the bad guy with the ...
Problems with Middle Age Step Children





My husband has 3 grown children 52, 49 and the youngest is 45. I am younger than my husband but I am near 60 years old myself. The children and I only ...
Hard for me to tell my step-children that I love them





I am 31 yrs old and I am the stepmother to 3 children ages 15, 13 and 7 from my husband's previous marriage. Their father and I have been married ...
Advice for Faltering Marriage and No Consequences for Bad Behavior





Advice for Faltering Marriage and No Consequences for Bad Behavior
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Why is it so hard for my in-laws to treat the kids fairly?





Well here's the situation. I have two kids from a previous marriage and my husband has one. My family has no problem accepting my husband's ...
Discipline My Stepson





How do I deal with my in-laws when it comes to my stepson?
I have already been told by my future in-laws that I am not to correct or discipline my stepson....
Help - i feel like i'm a horrible person for having these feelings





I have no children of my own. I recently married a man with a daughter who is now 6. He has a ton of guilt about his relationship with her mother and spoils ...
Don't know where to go from here with my stepson





During the last 3 months, my stepson has started refusing to come to our house. He won't tell my husband why, but when his mother calls she says it's ...
how to help my fiance stop defending his children





How to Help My Fiance Stop Defending His Children
My fiance and I have lived together for a few years now. His children are only with us a few days ...
Out of control 11 year old step daughter - HELP





Out of control step daughter - Help! - My 11 year old step daughter is driving me NUTS! We have three children in our household, 13, 11 and 9. For the ...
Daughter Gets Jealous of Boyfriend





My daughter turns 4 in September and I love her dearly. She is a lovely, polite little girl who makes me smile every day. Our relationship is great.
I ...
Hating My Step Son





I married into a ready made situation with my much younger husband and his 2 year old son. I was happy with it being that he had sole physical custody ...
Invading my space





My step son is 15 and at times has been "invading my space." As he walks by, he might slide his hand across my shoulder or arm or leg or back. My reaction ...
Stressed Out Mom





I'm pretty desperate right now and sometimes I believe that the situation I am living at the moment will end up destroying my family. I met Joe about 6 ...
Step Daughter and Nagging Ex





I have been with my husband for 3 years and married for 6 months. I met him when his daughter was 13 and she was great. About a year into our relationship,...
How do I stop my husband from sabotaging my relationship with my step kids?





My husband and I have been married for 2 years. He has 3 girls, 18, 16, and 12. I have 3 boys, 19, 16 and 10. I am finding being a step parent to the girls ...
I am a man with custody of my two teens





Hi,
I have joint but residential custody of my two teenagers: 16 boy and 15 girl. They both live with me and my second wife of 3 years. I also have ...
Step Son Won't Leave Home





My step son is 23 yrs old and still lives with his dad and I. I don't ask for a whole lot except keep your room clean, no food in the bedroom and make ...
Okay to call Stepmother Mommy?





I have three young stepchildren, and one with my spouse, their father. We have asked the stepchildren to call me mommy, so as to not confuse their new ...
Step Mother vs Mother





I have identical twin step sons whom I love and treat as I do my own daughter. The problem is their mother. My husband, the biological father of the twins ...
Resentful Stepchild





Resentful Stepchild
I have been dating a man who is separated with a 21-year old child. The girl, Sara, blames me for "breaking up her family" and ...
Help - My daughter hates my husband





My husband and I have been married for 2 1/2 years. I have three children, daughter - 14, daughter - 10, son - 7. My oldest daughter "hates" my husband....
Adult Stepchildren Won't Leave Home





Adult Stepchildren Won't Leave Home
Help!
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Step Parenting Grown Stepsons





My new husband of a year and a half has 2 boys, 20 and 22, who both live on their own. The 22-year old is going to school at a university and in his senior ...
Saving My Marriage





Saving My Marriage
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Defiant Teen





What To Do About Defiant Teen Stepson
My partner and I have been dating for two years. My children have grown and left the family home, so I moved in ...
Resentment for Stepchild





My boyfriend and I moved in together 7 months ago; we both have children from relationships. He and I have been acquaintances for 5 years, so we both knew ...
Step-parenting young adults





I have 3 children:-17 (high school senior), 19 & 21-all still in the home (going to college & working). I have been married to my husband for 2 years ...
Getting over my resentment for my stepson and the past...




Let me start off by saying my fiance and I are not married yet, we plan to be married on Nov 7, but have been together for 2 years now. Anyway,...
Conflict Between Parenting Styles
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Me and my spouse, each of us entering into our relationship with four children of our own, definitely have a full house. We have a conflict between parenting ...
Does age of step children matter?
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Every article I have been reading or coming across always speaks of the step children as being older. My soon to be step kids (twins, boy and a girl)...
Help me with my stepson
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My partner of 17 years fooled around year 4 into our relationship and got the other woman and myself pregnant at almost the same time...she got pregnant ...
Why do I dislike my stepson?
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I fell in love with my fiance about 3 years ago. He is an amazing man. He met my son after a few months of us dating and we chose to put off my meeting ...
Conflict with husband over disciplining the kids
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I recently married about 4 months ago. And with that came 2 children, my 9 year old and his 4 year old. Recently we had a huge blow up over a conflict ...
Surname for new baby in step family
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Hello. I have a 10 year old daughter and a new partner. We have been living together for about a year and I am now pregnant. The relationship between my ...
Why Will He Listen to Me but Not His Birth Father, Who I am Marrying?
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That's pretty much it. I'm a single mom, engaged to be married to a man who has a 25 year old son, a 24 year old daughter, and a 10 year old son.
The ...
Step son Neglected by Bio Mom - How Do I Help?
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My step son is 8 years old and appears to be VERY underweight for his age, mentally slow, has a SERIOUS lack of common sense and has the serious inability ...
Step Parenting Advice
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My new girlfriend is a mother of three great girls we have been seeing each other for a few months now and are getting more serious we had talked about ...
How to help your step kids deal with their deadbeat Mom?
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How to help your step kids deal with their deadbeat Mom?
I've got 3 beautiful stepchildren between the ages of 11 and 5. I love them just ...
Daughter is distant with step mom
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Being a Step Mother
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Being a Step Mother
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struggling parent of a 4yr son and 13 yr old step son
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Hateful Posts on Facebook
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What should you do when your step child posts comments on facebook like..."I hate my f***ing step mother!"
How Can I help my 8 yr old Step daughter
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Hi,
My stepdaughter is 8 and lives with her mum and I. We are expecting a baby in July and my step daughter sees her dad every other weekend as has ...
Jealous Step Daughter
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Jealous Step Daughter
I've been with my partner for nearly 5 years. We chose not to live together. My partner sees his daughter every weekend. I see ...
What to Do with the Step Children
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What to Do with the Step Children
It has been over 4 years since their dad and I have been together. We are engaged. Their mom re-married over a year ...
Fiance Disciplines My Daughter
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Fiance Disciplines My Daughter
My fiance was raised under strict rules, now, he is taking over the discipline of my 11 year old daughter. I do not agree ...
When you raise a step child and they leave
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Teen age love
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Stepchild's Mother is the Problem
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Stepchild's Mother is the Problem
I have a wonderful stepson who is in the 6th grade, but he has a mother who is a nightmare. I am constantly ...
Step daughter texts that she hates me
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No consequences for bad behavior
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I am in my sixteenth month of my third marriage and desperately want to salvage this relationship as it will definitely be my last.
I have three grown ...
Conflicts between Fiance and Son
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Conflicts between Fiance and Son
My 8 year old son doesn't have a good relationship with his biological mother. She's neglectful and is more about her ...
Step Parenting Help
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Step Parenting Help
Hi There,
My partner and his 3 children have just moved in full time in the last two months. I already have 2 of ...
Husband Says I Must Have Something Personal Against His Daughter
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Full Guardianship of my 10 year old step daughter: What Do I Do Now ?
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Okay here is goes.... I am 25yrs old and I have never had children, I got married 5 years ago, I have a step-daughter who has had a tough life, I have ...
Dealing with 15 year old Stepson
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Hi!
I really do appreciate your response as right now I am considering moving out.
My beloved boyfriend and I moved in together 3 years ago. He has ...
Help! Step daughter is the queen.
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My step daughter was quiet in the beginning. She seemed to be sweet, she loves to read, and was very helpful. Recently she has turned into the devil'...
Lost child
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My Family
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About 3 yrs ago my fiance moved in with me and my 2 kids. At first everything was good. We found out I was pregnant a short time after he moved in.
My ...
Step Daughter and Nagging Ex
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I have been with my husband for 3 years and married for 6 months. I met him when his daughter was 13 and she was great. About a year into our relationship,...
Step Daughter and Nagging Ex
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Teenage Daughter and Fiance Problems
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Teenage Daughter and Fiance Problems
My teenage daughter is brilliant. She is in advanced classes, at the top of her class, one of the top in the state ...