All Articles for Stepparents

Krista Smith-Larson is a blended family mom who produces games that help draw out matters of loss and stepfamily transition in order to bring about hope & healing. Listen to her dialogue with Ron Deal & learn about games that can benefit your stepfamily.

The benefit of "fun" is often overlooked when we consider how to build healthy stepfamily relationships. But Ron Deal's podcast guest, Dr. Jim Burns, says it's an important piece that can help connect relationships. Listen to their conversation about why and how intentional play can benefit your family.

God loves the work of refining our character. We become more like Christ as we learn how to love, forgive, show kindness, and be family to one another. Ron Deal talks with Summer Butler & Gayla Grace about the value of God's refining fire for stepmoms.

When a relationship feels fragile, it's tempting to stop speaking the truth.

Okay, if you have any relationships, anybody you care about, I want to give you a principle that will strengthen those relationships. Are you listening?

Compared to other siblings stepsiblings have less conflict. That may not be as good as it sounds.

Laughter is contagious, right? Well, so is a smile.

Have you ever met a rich person who was miserable?

Did your mom ever tell you to "Act your best"?

Is self-care the same as selfishness?

Ron, how does autism affect a stepfamily?

Kids in stepfamilies lose control over many aspects of their lives. Ron Deal talks with two stepsiblings about their adjustments to stepfamily life and how parents can give children a voice and open lines of communication to bring harmony to their home.

How do you help a lost or angry child who battles against the family? Ron Deal speaks with psychologist Danny Huerta on troubled kids in a stepfamily.

Blended & Blessed is a marriage event specifically designed for blended family couples. This podcast episode features a dynamic speaker from our 2021 event, author Laurie Short, with nuggets of wisdom and real-life stories from her stepmom journey.

Have you ever thought about how dysfunctional the families of the Bible were?

Here’s a fun fact for you. In the early years of a blended family the level of stress is typically very high.

Here's a not so secret quality of strong families. They have fun together.

Are you waiting to be wanted by someone you care about in your blended family? It's a hard reality for many in the early years. Listen to Ron Deal's conversation with Cheryl Shumake on how to persevere through the waiting during the wilderness years.

Now I know you've heard me say some crazy things but this one takes the cake. Learn to endure disharmony in your home.

Accommodating someone's preferences out of love for the Lord is an act of faith.

Caution: Love without caution.

Do you seek to build happy memories with those you love? Have you considered the impact of intentional play in your home? Listen to Ron Deal's conversation with Dr. Jim Burns about why and how to use "fun" to connect relationships in your stepfamily.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!" But if you're in a stepfamily, the holidays can get complicated pretty fast. Ron Deal offers some perspective, and gives counsel for how to navigate Christmas in a stepfamily.

We can't always see what God is doing. Ray McKelvy tells of his walk with God, meeting his wife, and his estranged dad being invited back into his life. He learns that his real story was much more than he thought.

Ray McKelvy tells his story about not knowing his real father and being the man of the house. Another father figure stepped into his life, only to then separate from his mom, and the devastation that left him searching for his identity.

When it comes to insurance, which beneficiary do you want to beâ€"primary or secondary?

Remarriage after widowhood creates unique struggles. Listen to Ryan and Jess Ronne, parents and stepparents to 8, share with Ron Deal about how insecurities can create conflict in a new marriage after widowhood and how they found beauty from ashes as they worked through their struggles and insecurities.

Preparing for marriage to begin a blended family comes with unique dynamics. Ron Deal, Director of FamilyLife Blended, talks about addressing not just the joining of two hearts, but those of the whole family.

Are you engaged or just beginning a blended family? Ron Deal, Director of FamilyLife Blended, discusses how couples can prepare their families to blend with intentionality and joy.

Sometimes in stepfamilies, we take things out on each other that really are about someone or something from the past. Listen to Ron Deal talk with Shelby Abbott on how to keep unresolved issues of the past from damaging relationships in the present.

Hey, sounds like family to me.

"Are you part of the main family or just sort of stuck on the side?"

"Are you part of the main family or just sort of stuck on the side?"

Drowning in a sea of emotions? You're not the only one.

Ron, my family is living proof that dysfunction breeds dysfunction.

Maybe it's time you reached across the aisle.

Have you ever tried to talk someone into loving you?

Did we just make our kids part of a blended family?

You know what? Well-intended bad advice...is still bad advice.

We just had to stay committed to getting through those early years.

Hit debt with a snowball.

So, if both parents die who gets your kids?

A pre-nup. You want us to do a pre-nup?

A pre-nup. You want us to do a pre-nup?

Be careful. Don't turn a stepfamily problem into "Us vs. You."

Ok, folks, let's be careful with our words.

Every house, has its own blueprint.

No, the bridge was always there. She just finally crossed it.

Sometimes you have to step through the wilderness with trust and raw determination.