Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Three Strategies for Building a Better Relationship With Your Husband's Ex

By Sandy Ingram


Step Parenting is a topic that so many people have serious issues dealing with. Every parent has a dream to have a happy family and raise their children in the best atmosphere ever where there is peace, joy and love in the family. But sometimes it doesn't always happen like that. The problem starts when each parent doesn't seem to agree with each other's idea anymore and before you know it they are already breaking up and calling it a quit. Most of the times children get to see these disagreements between their parents which are a lot already traumatic for them. So getting to adjust with someone who is not their biological parent might be difficult, not to even talk of the fact that they were not really comfortable with their own biological parent in the first place. When parents break up and get married to another partner that is when step parenting begins.

It is not always easy, and at times just downright difficult and seemingly near impossible, to have an amicable relationship with someone who shares an intimate history with your current spouse, shares parenting duties with your stepchildren, and your income.

Tips for Step Parents Being a step parent is not an easy task at all; I can say that because I have been a victim. I was a little boy when my mama left my dad. The reason for her leaving was because my elder sister got pregnant and my dad said he can't have her stay with him any longer and that she needs to relocate and go stay with my grandmamma. This idea was just too crazy for my mama to agree with, but after series of talking she finally agreed to have relocated. On the day that my sister was to leave my mama said she is going to take her to my grandma herself. She took her to my grandma with previous agreement but when she got there and stayed for about two weeks she decided on her own that she is not coming back again to my dad. That decision was already traumatic for me and my siblings. One year later my dad got married to other women with the reason which we had never seen before.

Having an interactive relationship does not necessarily include going for pedicures together. Having a distant and civil relationship, does not mean altogether ignoring her and pretending she does not exist. There are ways for you to handle the relationship with your husband's ex-wife with dignity, style and grace. The following are some valuable tips for you to maintain your sanity while on your journey to becoming a savvy stepmother, and loving wife.

Understand and Accept the Reality of Your Spouses Ex-Wife's Existence No matter how many times you wish upon a star, your husband's ex-wife will just not go away. She is a strong presence in the life of your stepchildren and whether or not you want to admit it, she is also a presence in the life of you and your spouse. Women who have effectively navigated the relationship with their husband's ex-wife, find that one key to the success can be summed up in one word: Acceptance. Accept the facts. Accept that your husband had a life before you. Accept the fact that your husband's ex-wife is the mother of your spouses' children, your stepchildren. Accept the existence of the former family. Accept that finances will likely be shared. Accept that her home will be different from your home. Accept that your stepchildren have a sense of loyalty to their biological mother which may manifest in difficulty in their relationship formation with you.

Start by working to reduce your children's feelings of loss as they share you with your new partner--and perhaps other children. Work to do this by continuing to spend time alone with them. Note two things about time spent with your children: First, your children will want as much exclusive time as you can give them--and, really, more. They may even see your special time as paving the way to return to single-parenthood, or even a reconciliation with your former spouse. Set limits, even though the kids will complain. If you make it clear that all the belly-aching in the world won't change the situation, the kids will--eventually--give up.

Second, the times you spend with your children don't need to be long in terms of minutes and hours. Just concentrating on them completely sometimes is all that's important. After dealing with your children's feelings of loss, it's time to confront your own. Recognize a somewhat contradictory emotion within you: Because you had an exclusive relationship with your children, you may have mixed feelings about their forming relationships with your new spouse. This is okay, as long as you don't act these mixed feelings out.




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