What Is (And Isn’t) Parental Alienation Syndrome?
It’s important to realise that a single moment of expressing exasperation about the other house, or your ex, is not going to cause PAS. PAS is cause…
Tag: step-family dynamics
Kids’ Rooms in the Step-Dynamic
One thing I have learned in 20 odd years of parenting is that telling kids to clean their room is rarely effective. If we get overwhelmed looking at a…
Stepparents & Chores
...Some people advise stepparents stay completely clear of any chore assigning and enforcement. While on the surface this seems like good advice, it 
All is not Fair in Step-Family Chores
Expecting kids to land in your home and jump straight into chores can be setting our family up for conflict and failure. Take a moment to think how yo…
Goal Setting That Works
I originally wrote this at the beginning of 2020, well before any of us realised what a shit show this year would turn out to be...Everything I said b…
Step-Families in a Pandemic – Coping with Covid-19
Covid-19, or the Corona virus, is big news around the world. Schools are closing, borders are closing, toilet paper stocks are at all time lows. This …
What About Me? Step/mums and Family Holiday Traditions
It’s amping up to ‘that’ time of year. Holiday stress is a thing. It’s more often a thing for women. It’s often a very different…
Stepmums Stepping In for Happiness…
Being a stepmum is like dancing the Hokey Tokey – step in, no not that far – you’re overstepping. Step back, no not tha…
Beyond Repair?
Focusing on what is broken or what is wrong can lead us to believe things are hopeless or broken beyond repair. Someone with the ability to see the la…
New Year’s Revolution – or how not to fail at doing all of the things
When we start to ponder the coming year, as we inevitably do around this time, rather than making a laundry list of all the things you are going to no…