S3-E13: "Family Life Blended and Stepparenting Ambiguity" with Gayla Grace

Our guest today is the amazing Gayla Grace, of Family Life Blended!

Gayla Grace serves on staff with FamilyLife Blended® as a writer and a speaker and desires to equip blended families for life together. She is the author of Stepparenting with Grace: A Devotional for Blended Families and co-author of Quiet Moments for the Stepmom Soul. She has a master’s degree in Psychology and Counseling and is a mom to three and stepmom to two adult children. She and her husband Randy have been married 26 years and are recent empty nesters residing in Conway, AR.

Quotes:

"Don't quit--it's normal to go through a wilderness."

"In a remarriage, the non-bio parent comes in as a friend and should focus on building a relationship with the kids...Let them know 'I care about you.'"

"Watch the cues from the kids and try to match that."

"One obstacle is the ambiguity of the stepparent role, and that role will change over time."

"Don't wear your feelings on your shoulder."

"Hold onto the small victories and encouraging moments as a stepparent."

"We don't realize the impact we're having on our stepkids' lives until they're old enough to realize it as well."

"If someone has been a lousy spouse, we assume they're also a lousy parent, but that's not necessarily the case. We have to change our mindset about that person."

"Make sure you are nurturing your marriage."

Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GaylaGrace.author

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gaylagrace/

Websites: http://www.stepparentingwithgrace.com/ 

https://www.familylife.com/familylifeblended/blended-families/

https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/

Gayla's Books: https://www.amazon.com/Gayla-Grace/e/B00J9P237A%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Email: blended@familylife.com