| One Step Forward, Two Steps Back |
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One Step Forward, Two Steps Back We had my stepson at our house for the last 10 days before school started up again and we returned to our regular schedule of every other weekend, plus two visits by my husband to his son during the week. My husband and I had planned for this Labor Day holiday week. We had reviewed our schedules to see what would happen, who would spend time with whom, and how each day would look. During that 10 days, we discovered, much to our dismay, that many of the stepfamily rules we had put in place over a year ago had fallen by the wayside. Expected behaviors from my stepson did not happen. We had issues at bedtime, we had issues at the dinner table, we had issues doing chores, and we had issues in attitude. My husband and I had some disagreements. I had disagreements with my stepson. Where was the relative calm we had gotten used to? The reality is, we had gotten complacent. We had assumed that once we acted on our House Rules and things had fallen into place the way we wanted, they would stay that way. Boy, were we wrong. Even though we don't have to start all over, it sometimes feels like it! We are learning that stepfamily life is a process. You are never done. Often, you take one step forward, then find yourself two steps back (or five!). And that's OK. As long as we keep taking one step after another, we are moving in the right direction. About the author: Sue Rasmussen specializes in helping stepfamilies who are struggling become healthy and happy. To learn more about her programs and sign up for more FREE articles, resources, and tips like these, be sure to visit her site at http://www.stepfamiliesthatwork.com. © 2006 Sue Rasmussen. All rights reserved. You are welcome to reprint this article online as long as it remains complete and unchanged, including the "about the author" info at the end. As a courtesy, please let me know where the materials will appear. |
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