Blending a family is hard!
Why? Because there are times you are put in the middle of taking care of your spouse or taking care of your children. Who do you choose? And if you are going to be REALLY honest, you know that sometimes your kids make a good point, and sometimes your spouse does. You are so tired and worn out with the same cycles of frustration. You thought when you got married your kids would love your spouse as they did when you were dating. But now things seem different. Your kids feel differently. Your spouse promised to love your children like it was their own children. But that does not seem to be true….
You have a vision for your family and how it can be, but you are unsure how to get there.
You realize you have your own work to do.
And…let’s face it. You finally see that you have your own dysfunctional patterns that you never really addressed from your last marriage. In fact, you are starting to feel those same old feelings that are so familiar to you. The ones you had in your first marriage….and you are scared. You want to better understand yourself and why you get so easily triggered by some things. The same things that triggered you before. In your previous marriage! You want to better understand why you seem to run from conflict or head straight for it….knowing it is not going to end well.
And the statistics show just how hard blending is!
You know the statistics. In case you don’t, here they are.
In the United States, about 50% of married couples divorce and remarriages have an even higher divorce rate: 60% of second marriages and 73% of all third marriages end.
The US Census states that there are over 1300 new stepfamilies every day. There are a number of dynamics that come into play with a blended family. For instance, stressors like children, sibling rivalry, marital dynamics, and dealing with co-parents all play a role in blending a family. Learning healthy ways to communicate and integrate family members into your blended family is crucial.
Everyone has a role and some roles have more authority whereas, some roles may need more of a voice. In a stepfamily, usually, there is a shift in roles. Navigating the challenges of blended families is difficult which is why counseling can help with those challenges. Having an outsider look into the dynamics of your family and give a therapeutic perspective can be very powerful. Why wait?
We can help!
At Sparrow Counseling, we use an assessment called Prepare/Enrich to help you better understand your parental strengths and areas you need to improve. These assessments can help couples with parenting and stepparenting which empowers parents by giving them insight into their parenting style, family dynamics, and couple's relationship.
We also look at your family system to help you better learn how you can care for each other and your children. We want to teach you better ways to repair when conflict happens as well as better ways to care for yourself when you get triggered by that SAME trigger that just keeps coming back in all of your relationships!
Goals of the Parenting Version for PREPARE/ENRICH assessment:
Explore strengths and growth areas as partners and parents.
Strengthen communication with your partner and children.
Identify and manage parenting stress.
Discuss parenting styles and how you work together as a team.
Increase parenting confidence and satisfaction.
Parenting Content:
Parenting Stress Profile.
Co-Parenting or Step Parenting.
Family Spiritual Beliefs (optional scale).
Family Map.
Other scales may include:
Five parenting styles- Global
Five parenting styles- by child
Confidence in parenting
Child behavior issues checklist
Family communication
Family satisfaction
Relationship satisfaction by child
Communication satisfaction by child
If you are interested in taking the next step, to have a trained professional walk with you as you blend your family, call us for a 15-minute free consultation to discover how a plan and the right therapist, can make the difference in this huge decision. Click here to sign up for a free consultation.
Other Services Offered at Sparrow Counseling
At Sparrow Counseling we offer both in-person and online therapy in the state of Alabama. We specialize in co-parenting counseling, reunification therapy, divorce & family mediation, discernment counseling, individual counseling, grief and loss counseling, and anxiety therapy in Birmingham, Alabama. Learn more about Sparrow Counseling by checking out our FAQs and Blog!