Jean McBride's guest appearances

Jean McBride

Divorce Dialogues

Words, Nevertheless: Sermons and Thoughts

Denise Seidelman

Allison Williams

Chris Voss

Kristin Neff

Carl Pickhardt

Nikki DeBartolo

Diane Burroughs

Paulette Rigo

Lisa Decker

Elyse Goldweber

Kathryn Smerling

Lisa Schuman

India Kern

Lisa Angel

James McGlynn

OwlTail

Being a stepparent is tricky. How do you get involved in your stepchildren’s lives without overstepping? How do you go about disciplining a stepchild? How do you approach the holidays? Stepfamilies do have their benefits but taking on the role of a stepparent is never going to be easy. On the bad days, it can feel like you ‘set your hair on fire, and you’re trying to put it out with a hammer.’

Being a stepparent is tricky. How do you get involved in your stepchildren’s lives without overstepping? How do you go about disciplining a stepchild? How do you approach the holidays? Stepfamilies do have their benefits but taking on the role of a stepparent is never going to be easy. On the bad days, it can feel like you ‘set your hair on fire, and you’re trying to put it out with a hammer.’

Ep. 062 NAVIGATING YOUR NEW ROLE AS A STEPPARENT - Jean Mcbride

Being a stepparent is tricky. How do you get involved in your stepchildren’s lives without overstepping? How do you go about disciplining a stepchild? How do you approach the holidays? Stepfamilies do have their benefits but taking on the role of a stepparent is never going to be easy. On the bad days, it can feel like you ‘set your hair on fire, and you’re trying to put it out with a hammer.’Jean McBride is a marriage and family therapist in Northern Colorado who has helped more than 20,000 families navigate divorce. She has spent the past 11 years specializing in post-divorce relationships, which encompasses parenting during and after divorce, remarriage and stepfamilies. Jean serves as a divorce coach trained in the Collaborative Divorce model as well as a speaker and consultant in the area of divorce and remarriage. She is the author of Encouraging Words for New Stepmothers and Talking to Children About Divorce.Today, Jean joins Katherine to share her take on why the role of stepmother is the most complex. She explains the difference in societal expectations for mothers and fathers, discussing how those expectations impact stepmoms and stepdads. Jean walks us through some of the common mistakes made by new stepparents and the ongoing discussion a new couple should have with regard to parenting. Listen in to understand the concept of diplomacy within a stepfamily and learn how to approach the holidays in a way that makes everyone feel welcome and equal.Topics CoveredThe complexity of taking on the role of stepmotherThe challenge for stepmothers to be involved without oversteppingJean’s advice for new stepparentsTake it slowLet biological parent leadWhy it can be simpler for stepfamilies if both adults have childrenHow the societal expectations for fathers impact stepdadsThe common mistakes made by stepfathersThe ongoing discussion a new couple should have about parentingExpectationsParenting styleCommunicationDisciplineThe concept of diplomacy within a stepfamilyHow to make stepchildren feel welcome during the holidaysThe value in establishing new holiday traditionsMixing biological and stepparents at holiday celebrationsJean’s guidance for stepfamiliesManage expectationsGet help (i.e.: books, online resources, life coach)Connect with Jean McBrideJean’s Website: www.divorcehelpforparents.comResourcesEncouraging Words for New Stepmothers by Jean A. McBride: amazon.com/Encouraging-Words-Stepmothers-Jean-McBride/dp/0970772912Talking to Children About Divorce: A Parent’s Guide to Healthy Communication at Each Stage of Divorce by Jean McBride: www.amazon.com/Talking-Children-About-Divorce-Communication/dp/1623156858Connect with Katherine MillerThe Center for Understanding Conflict: http://understandinginconflict.org/Miller Law Group: https://westchesterfamilylaw.com/Katherine on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kemiller1The New Yorker’s Guide to Collaborative Divorce by Katherine Miller: https://www.amazon.com/New-Yorkers-Guide-Collaborative-Divorce/dp/0692496246Email: katherine@westchesterfamilylaw.comCall (914) 738-7765

Being a stepparent is tricky. How do you get involved in your stepchildren’s lives without overstepping? How do you go about disciplining a stepchild? How do you approach the holidays? Stepfamilies do have their benefits but taking on the role of a stepparent is never going to be easy. On the bad days, it can feel like you ‘set your hair on fire, and you’re trying to put it out with a hammer.’ Jean McBride is a marriage and family therapist in Northern Colorado who has helped more than 20,000 families navigate divorce. She has spent the past 11 years specializing in post-divorce relationships, which encompasses parenting during and after divorce, remarriage and stepfamilies. Jean serves as a divorce coach trained in the Collaborative Divorce model as well as a speaker and consultant in the area of divorce and remarriage. She is the author of Encouraging Words for New Stepmothers and Talking to Children About Divorce. Today, Jean joins Katherine to share her take on why the role of stepmother is the most complex. She explains the difference in societal expectations for mothers and fathers, discussing how those expectations impact stepmoms and stepdads. Jean walks us through some of the common mistakes made by new stepparents and the ongoing discussion a new couple should have with regard to parenting. Listen in to understand the concept of diplomacy within a stepfamily and learn how to approach the holidays in a way that makes everyone feel welcome and equal. Topics Covered The complexity of taking on the role of stepmother The challenge for stepmothers to be involved without overstepping Jean’s advice for new stepparents Take it slow Let biological parent lead Why it can be simpler for stepfamilies if both adults have children How the societal expectations for fathers impact stepdads The common mistakes made by stepfathers The ongoing discussion a new couple should have about parenting Expectations Parenting style Communication Discipline The concept of diplomacy within a stepfamily How to make stepchildren feel welcome during the holidays The value in establishing new holiday traditions Mixing biological and stepparents at holiday celebrations Jean’s guidance for stepfamilies Manage expectations Get help (i.e.: books, online resources, life coach) Connect with Jean McBride Jean’s Website: <a href="http://www.divorcehelpforparents.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.divorcehelpforparents.com</a> Resources Encouraging Words for New Stepmothers by Jean A. McBride: <a href="http://amazon.com/Encouraging-Words-Stepmothers-Jean-McBride/dp/0970772912" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">amazon.com/Encouraging-Words-Stepmothers-Jean-McBride/dp/0970772912</a> Talking to Children About Divorce: A Parent’s Guide to Healthy Communication at Each Stage of Divorce by Jean McBride: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Talking-Children-About-Divorce-Communication/dp/1623156858" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.amazon.com/Talking-Children-About-Divorce-Communication/dp/1623156858</a> Connect with Katherine Miller The Center for Understanding Conflict: <a href="http://understandinginconflict.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://understandinginconflict.org/</a> Miller Law Group: <a href="https://westchesterfamilylaw.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://westchesterfamilylaw.com/</a> Katherine on LinkedIn: <a href="http://linkedin.com/in/kemiller1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">linkedin.com/in/kemiller1</a> The New Yorker’s Guide to Collaborative Divorce by Katherine Miller: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/New-Yorkers-Guide-Collaborative-Divorce/dp/0692496246" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/New-Yorkers-Guide-Collaborative-Divorce/dp/0692496246</a> Email: katherine@westchesterfamilylaw.com Call (914) 738-7765

Navigating Your New Role as a Stepparent with Jean McBride

A brief homily given at the Celebration of the Life of Jean McBride Streit (1925-2016) by the Rev. John F. Beddingfield on February 12, 2016 at The Church of the Holy Trinity in New York City.

The Life of Jean McBride Streit: Lines Remembered And Shared