Coping with Difficult Emotions as a Stepparent
The memoir’s scene grabbed my attention. Taya Kyle, widow of the American sniper, Chris Kyle, describes a fragile setting where her emotions run deep. At her husband’s funeral, Taya prepares to say a...
View ArticleWe Need Each Other—Here’s Why!
Randy and his mom A knot formed in my stomach as I watched my husband, Randy, take his suit out of the closet and pack it in the car. “I think you need to take funeral clothes too,” he said. “We don’t...
View ArticleStepparenting the Grieving Child
The stepmom role is hard. Add in grieving stepchildren and it gets even harder. Author Diane Fromme recently published a book, Stepparenting the Grieving Child: Cultivating Past and Present...
View ArticleGrief, Stepfamily, and the Process of Healing
I held my breath, waiting for words I didn’t want to hear. “I suggest you place your mother on hospice care. Her body has started to shut down.” The doctor looked at me compassionately, waiting for a...
View ArticleWhen the White Picket Fence Never Goes Up
She said, “I was excited…” I noticed Amber’s melancholy state when I met my friend for lunch. “I was excited about a new beginning in marriage,” she said, “but now I find myself sad more often than...
View Article