No One's the Bitch - Mom/Stepmom Partnership Revolution

I was talking to my friend Bernadette yesterday from Slow Family Living about putting together a panel for next year's SXSW — and was surprised at her surprise by a part of our conversation. Context: she has four kids under the age of 11. My two girls are 14 and 18, with one already [...]

Welcome to our first guest post! It's by Katherine Shirek Doughtie, one of the co-authors of a "sister" site, the fabulous, but sadly currently dormant The DHX: The Doughtie Houses Exchange — which is also about creating cooperative mom/stepmom relationships. (Katherine is the mom and Jill Doughtie is the stepmom.) The post is actually [...]

Tired of trying to figure out who’s at “fault” when it comes to the problems between you and the mom or stepmom?
Here’s some food for thought!
Chapter 6: Be Accountable (No One Else to Blame)
From No One’s the Bitch (Globe Pequot Press), © Jennifer
Newcomb Marine and Carol Marine, used by permission.

Wow! Yesterday was a whirlwind! We were flooded with emails, tons of hits, and the book soared to Number 2 on Amazon's Bestseller list in two categories: Divorce and Stepparenting!! It's still bouncing around from No. 1 to No. 9 in their Hot New Releases categories too. Very exciting!
This book has been five [...]

Like a little gremlin that escaped from the attic, our book is officially out there in the world! If you'd like to help us obsess over our Amazon status on this holiest of launch days and reach Bestseller status (however briefly!), you can buy the book at Amazon. Just some of what you’ll find [...]

No One’s the Bitch: A Ten-Step Plan for Mothers and Stepmothers is a revolutionary, new approach to diffusing the traditional animosity between moms and stepmoms — and creating a brand, new version of an extended family that’s healthier and happier.
If you’re ready to move forward and are curious about how to start resolving some [...]

Sometimes I struggle with tone on this blog.
I want so much to inspire people – to show them a different vision of what’s possible between families (originally I typed “bision” instead of “vision” which reminded me of “bison,” but I’m not up much on buffalo, so clearly, that wouldn’t have worked) after a divorce.
To encourage [...]

What are some examples of celebrities that have gotten divorced, remarried, and then created a brand new extended family that works?

Here's what Rumer Willis, daughter of actors Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, said about her father and step-father Ashton Kutcher in Us Magazine…
"We all have so much fun together. I’m so lucky," she tells [...]

(How did it go last week? Did you refrain from any unhelpful behavior, even once? Did you stop some of your negative thoughts mid-train? What did you discover?)

Question for you, moving forward….
First, let's assume that you do indeed have some changes to make when it comes to creating a better relationship with the [...]

(Here’s a little experiment to try this week….)
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.-Philo

If you’re wanting to create a friendlier relationship with the mom or stepmom and aren’t sure where to start, first, consider doing something simple and stopping any subtly combative behavior.
Is your voice tight when you talk to [...]