Four a long time ago I joined with my partner and his two small children. In the starting it was lovely to have the children all over. I was in the ‘Getting Going’ stage – the fantasy phase – and uncovered household lifestyle easy, getting together effectively with absolutely everyone.
As the months passed by I started to observe far more and a lot more how a lot of an outsider I felt in their cosy trio. They had a historical past jointly, I failed to. They realized every single other’s desires, I did not. They realized the routines backwards, I failed to. They realized how to get what they wanted from each and every other, I didn’t.
Observing I realised that basically this cosy trio wasn’t a trio at all, but a foursome. Who was the forth individual do I hear you cry? It was the youngest kid’s mom. She also had a historical past with these folks, she also realized their wants, she also realized their plan and she also understood how to get what she needed – significantly to my disappointment.
It appeared like an age that I was on the outside the house. I was stunned to discover jealously coming up in me which hadn’t been their formerly and I observed my personal self esteem staying knocked.
Now, as The Stepfamily Coach I realise these to be all completely natural and typical feelings and part of the ‘getting going’ stage (See the Improvement Approach Of A Stepfamily at [ of a new blended family.
Many of the people I work with tell me they feel the same. They often feel like they’re on the outside, being sent this way and that depending on the children or their mother. I wanted to be important in this family and I wanted to mean something to them. It reminded me of being the office junior again. Making the teas and coffee for everyone, being talked over as the one that wouldn’t know anything, even though I did sometimes have a good idea.
I wanted to get stuck in with the stuff that really mattered, but not having any children of my own made me feel worse – everyone knew I had no parenting experience so my opinions didn’t matter – at least that’s how I felt.
What I didn’t appreciate at the time is that like being the office junior gives you a great grounding. You learn all the fundamentals of the job that keep the team functioning effectively… and without the responsibility. That’s how I now see this period of bonding with my new family. I was learning the ropes. I was learning how everyone interacted, how everyone related to everyone else and finding my feet whilst gradually moulding my part in their life.
When working with stepparents I encourage them to be patient and to look at this time as learning and growing – for them as well as their new family. If you accept that relationships take time, like a good wine maturing, then you’ll find it easier to go with the flow and minimalise any resistance and heartache.
Think of it like growing a plant from a seed. It needs time and nurturing. You can’t rush it. It will germinate and grow strong in it’s own time. If you try to rush it you could end up with an unhealthy plant or even kill it.
If you find yourself wanting to make the time of growing and learning in your stepfamily easier for yourself and enjoy the flow more, perhaps even to deal with emotions of jealousy or low self-esteem then find out how The Stepfamily Coach can help you. Visit [http://www.thestepfamilycoach.com]
Wishing you really satisfied stepparenting!