Every Step Counts: Building a Healthy Stepfamily

by Christine and Tony Tufnell

Overview

A practical guide for all those living, or preparing to live, in a step-family. Drawing on real-life examples, the authors - both step-parents themselves - help parents to explore key issues and to find the way forward that is best for them. Questions addressed include: - Will I make a good step-parent? - What if we disagree over parenting styles? - My past experiences of family life aren't good. Can I really make it work this time round? - What about money issues? And where are we going to live? - How will the other children feel if we have a new baby?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780745957449
Publisher:	Lion Books
Publication date:	10/12/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	144
File size:	748 KB

About the Author

Christine Tufnell is the Single Parent Project Officer for Care for the Family, and a regular speaker at Spring Harvest. She is a step-parent.

Table of Contents

Contents
Introduction 7
Foundation steps 11
1. Complex steps 12
2. Steps back 18
3. Realistic steps 28
Tandem steps 37
4. The step-couple 38
5. Practical steps 49
Family steps – parenting 57
6. Being Stepmum or Stepdad 58
7. Parenting steps 72
8. Steps in the step-parent/step-child relationship 85
Family steps – children 91
9. Children’s steps 92
10. Baby steps 105
11. Adult steps 111
Stepping together 115
12. The ‘outside’ step 116
13. Step into the future 127
Appendix 1: Meeting the steps 132
Appendix 2: The wedding day 134
Further Resources 139

Editorial Reviews

A practical guide for parents living - or preparing to live - in a stepfamily.

- Will I make a good step-parent? - What if we disagree over parenting styles? - My past experiences of family life aren't good. Can I really make it work this time round? - What about money issues? And where are we going to live? - How will the other children feel if we have a new baby? Becoming a step-parent is not easy. Whether we have experience of raising a family or not, forming a new family raises many questions for everyone involved. In this practical and easy to read book, Christine and Tony Tufnell give valuable advice for anyone living, or planning to live, in a stepfamily. Taking a positive yet realistic approach, Every Step Counts uses a range of real-life scenarios and questions to help the reader address the issues. By sharing what they have learned from their own experience, the authors present the reader with positive goals to aim for and offer a realistic hope for the future. 'We cannot make stepfamilies work on our own. All members need to be involved. But if we do our part in building healthy stepfamilies then our lives can be greatly enriched. All our steps matter, every step counts.' When CHRISTINE AND TONY TUFNELL married they became a stepfamily with five of their six children living with them. They now have grandchildren and step-grandchildren. Both have experienced single parent family life and the challenges of being a step-parent. They are also qualified counsellors. Christine is the Life in a Stepfamily Project manager for Care for the Family, as well as an author and national speaker.

From the Publisher