Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Alec Baldwin On Parental Alienation by Sheena Berg

Listen: Alec Baldwin on Parental Alienation


Blended-Families.com Coach Sheena Berg writes about Alec Baldwin's struggle with Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS). PAS is described by leading expert, Dr Richard Warshak in his groundbreaking book, Divorce Poison, as a deliberate and concerted campaign by one parent to turn children against the other parent by bad mouthing, bashing and brainwashing, in an effort to alienate them and sever their relationship.


Listen: Alec Baldwin on Parental Alienation

What is Fair and Effective in a Blended Family?

Listen: What is Fair and Effective?


In the recent coaching session of Blended-Families.com, Greg, one of the callers, shared his desire to parent all their children without causing friction between him and his wife. Different personality types come into play. Blended-Families.com Founder and Coach Emily Bouchard gives a powerful advice for Greg to consider to make his family the best that it can become.


Listen: What is Fair and Effective?

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Step Wars Book Review - Parts 1 & 2


Listen now: Part 1 and Part 2


Step Wars is an excellent and practical guide to help avoid pitfalls, to repair past damage, to maintain healthy relationships and to help everyone enjoy an adult step family experience. Blended-Families.com Coach Sheena Berg provides an objective review of the book for readers to appreciate it more.


Listen now: Part 1 and Part 2

Monday, September 22, 2008

The Tact and Tacking Skills in Resolving Blended Family Conflicts

Listen: Step Wars

Adult stepfamilies face five common anger issues. Issues that surprisingly, both the parental couple and adult children share. Although these basic fears and concerns are important factors in stepparent relationships, there are opposing views about who causes the problems. Grace Gabe, M.D. and Jean Lipman-Blumen, Ph.D., authors of the groundbreaking book, Step Wars, described these anger issues as the Five Furies.

This is a must read for anyone in an adult stepfamily, whether biological parent, stepparent or adult child. It is an excellent and practical guide to help avoid pitfalls, to repair past damage, to maintain healthy relationships and to help everyone enjoy an adult step family experience.

This topic is expounded more in the book, Step Wars, by Grace Gabe, M.D. and Jean Lipman-Blumen, Ph.D. There’s no substitute for reading the book, but a close second is to join us on an Ask the Experts interview with Grace Gabe and Jean Lipman-Blumen on September 30, 9 pm EST. If you can’t be on the call, submit your very own question to the authors here.

Listen: Step Wars


Sunday, September 7, 2008

The Wizard of Oz is in You!

Listen now: The Wizard of Oz is in You!

The Wizard of Oz is in You! is a fully interactive and enlightening way to learn and develop communication skills with a child and to learn the often hidden thoughts and emotions that motivate the behavior of a child.

The Wizard of Oz is in You! can reveal why your child THINKS the way they do, why they ACT the way they do, and can help uncover the reason they make critical choices that wind up defining their life.

Listen now: The Wizard of Oz is in You!

Award Winning Children's Books

Listen now: Award Winning Children's Books

At Blended-Families.com, we are continually looking for great resources to make a positive difference in the lives of blended families. We recently came across two award-winning children's books by David Michael Slater that we are thrilled to feature and share with you. "The Ring Bear" is about a son and mother, while "Flour Girl" is about a daughter and dad. The illustrations are delightful and make the stories come alive.

With humor and creativity these books capture the confused emotions that come up for children when they find out their father or mother plans to remarry. Parents and children alike will relate to the messages in both these stories, as well as gain some clues about ways to navigate those inevitable bumps that occur when blending families.

We highly recommend these books to anyone looking for ways to integrate a new partner into your family system.

Listen now: Award Winning Children's Books

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

The Secrets of Happily Married Men

Listen now: Secrets of Happily Married Men

In today's installment of the Blended Family News podcast, we discuss a book that we are certain can help your families blended successfully.

Among other things, Dr. Scott Haltzman, in his book The Secrets of Happily Married Men, discusses the varied reasons behind relationship dissatisfaction and breakdown, and focuses in on how men are portrayed and described as relationships buffoons who couldn't get it right to save their lives. This stereotype does nothing to promote good relationships.

The book celebrates the equality of the sexes and acknowledges their innate strengths and skills. However, the distinguishing message is that there are real and undeniable biological and emotional differences between men and women that need to be understood and used to benefit the relationship, not to create more conflict.

Listen here now: Secrets of Happily Married Men