Tim and Olivia Smith brought six kids into their blended family in 1997. In their conversation with Ron Deal, they share the joys and challenges of melding together two families, how to encourage relationship building between siblings, and how stepparents can move from a place of isolation to a place of belonging in a stepfamily.

Tim’s daughter, Christie, joins the conversation with her perspective as a teenager from the early years of their blended family. Although the stepmom—stepdaughter relationship is often the hardest to connect, Christie shares how Olivia’s small actions of moving toward her and allowing her to engage at her own pace created a loving, long-lasting relationship that she treasures today as an adult.

Show Notes and Resources

• Get a copy of The Mindful Marriage.
• Get your copy of Blending-100 Day Guide for Step-Parents.
• Learn about Blended Not Broken
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Robert and Jennie Lord both grew up in blended families. They share their stories with Ron Deal about the residue left behind from the maze of parental divorce, multiple stepparents, challenges in relationship building, unwanted transitions, and ongoing instability. They’ve sought healing from those experiences and now want to share what they’ve learned with others.

Married with a family of their own, they are committed to their marriage and want to provide an upbringing for their children that is vastly different than what they experienced. They teach and model a life built on faith and seek to provide stability and build strong bonds with their children.

Show Notes and Resources

• Get the Blended & Blesses All-Access Digital Pass
• Blended resources for you!
• Learn more about Chosen and the work that Jenni does.
• Get a copy of The Mindful Marriage.
• Support FamilyLife Blended with a gift.

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Jennifer Maggio shares her story with Ron Deal of her challenges as a single mom that propelled her to begin a national ministry, serving over 1,000,000 single moms. Now married in a blended family, she continues the mission that no single mom walk alone.

Show Notes and Resources

• You can still register for Blended & Blessed!
• Learn more about Jennifer Maggio and her ministry.
• Get a copy of the book, Preparing to Blend.
• Support FamilyLife Blended with a gift.

See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy