Blended Family - A Guide for Stepparents

Seven Unsuspecting Attitudes that Are Seriously Toxic to Stepfamilies

By: Andrea Campbell

Narrated by: Bonnie Trost

Length: 1 hr and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Stepparenting isn't the easiest job, but it can be most rewarding if you get it right.

If you are a stepparent, you may know how challenging a role it can be. It takes more than the will to make it work. Stepparents must apply a range of skills to keep their families together, and they have to be prepared to be flexible in the process.

This guide for stepfamilies outlines seven key factors that are often overlooked but have an adverse effect on stepfamilies. They are neatly arranged in the acronym BLUNDER—which is precisely what stepparents do when they fail to address or ignore the cited factors. Contemporary society is overrun with demands on parents who have to juggle a range of roles. But, if you pay attention to the elements outlined, the difference will be noticeable as you navigate this challenging but potentially enriching role.

And even if you think you've tried everything, consider these factors. You'll be surprised to find that these simple changes can make an impactful difference.

©2022 Andrea Campbell (P)2022 Andrea Campbell

Such good information!

Raising a blended family, this book has great information for you! It has good information that I wouldn't have thought about! Definitely a great read!

Very helpful and filled with great advice!

This was a great listen. I have been dealing with a child that is not my own and who is very clearly my partner's priority (understandably so). It is tough, and this is exactly what I needed.

So insightful, filled with great anecdotes and real-life situations, conflict resolution tips, etc.

Definitely recommend for anyone going through this. It has helped me and given me tools to navigate this complex dynamic!

Mostly Blended Family

I listened to this book because I have a close friend who is struggling with a new family dynamic as a stepparent. But its not just for stepparents, it for blended families in general. There was a lot regarding blended families with adopted children and children who have special needs. Its a concise overview of the skillset that a stepparent needs for success. Most importantly, the book talks about when to enforce rules and when to be flexible.

Very Informative

This book helps the reader to develop positive attitudes and behaviours that promote healthy relationships within stepfamilies. The author offers practical strategies for fostering open communication, showing empathy, setting boundaries, and building trust. These tools can help stepparents and other family members navigate the unique challenges of blending families and create a harmonious and supportive environment. This is a Must-Read.

Very Informative

This is a great book for anyone with a blended family. It points out the different things that can be red flags and disturb the peace in your home and gives great advice and strategies on how to overcome it. I highly recommend this book to anyone with stepchildren and families in this situation.

Resonated With

As a child that grew up in a blended family, I wish my parents would have had access to a book like this! The smallest things this book teaches like the importance of communication, a mutual level of trust, and clear expectations of one another could have really made a difference for my parents. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this book to anyone who may be preparing or already apart of a blended family!

A must have for blending families

Wow! What an amazing and insightful book for blended families!! The author gives such advice on the unique challenges that face “blending” families together! She advice to build a relationship with the children while being mindful of the past hurts that are still there was eye opening!! I really enjoyed listening to this book!

Great guide for step-parents

When my wife and I got married (re-married), we merged families and that meant as a parent of 2 girls I was now also step-parent to 2 boys and one girl. The kids were of different ages and had different needs. We had to work on our marriage and the kids were of great concern to both of us. This meant we had to reach an agreement on many issues (in one family, doing something one way was normal, in another family that was unacceptable). This short book provides a good guide to how to be a good step-parent, how to avoid common mistakes most step-parents make. I recommend this book to anyone who is or going to be a step-parent.

Adaptable Parents don't Blunder

Andrea Campbell has written a great book and Bonnie Trost does a fantastic job narrating it. My wife and I listened to the book together and took notes. The narration was spot on because despite our taking copious notes it required very little rewinding/pausing. Great Job.

This book is full of strategies for parents of blended families to employ which will help them navigate this complex situation. Frankly, my wife and i do not have a blended family but a 19 year marriage with 3 Teenage boys and a great deal of the skills Andrea Campbell outlines can be used whether its a blended family or not.

Something as simple as eating together as family has gotten tougher and tougher in todays short attention span world with activities galore. But i agree with the author it is very important for families to eat together.

Our favorite part of the book is the explanation on having rules and the importance of rules but that you must be adaptable too. She says sometimes you need to break the rules slightly for the sake of peace. I thought that was perfect because things are always evolving in a family dynamic and being adaptable is so key.

This is a great book!!! We highly recommend it.

Very informative

Blended Family Guide is a great starting point for people entering into this murky water of blending 2 families. I really like how she used the BLUNDER acronym in the book, which is exactly how you can feel transitioning into raising kids that are not used biologically. She points out things about Nepotism that I had never really considered (so essentially the “favorite” child ends up being disliked by the other siblings), so this favorite person may end up “worse off” for a parent having this attitude. I’m sure there is no book that can address all the issues, but I think Campbell has put together a very practical guide on starting on this road.