You probably hope for tight bonds in your blended family.  But the reality is that that blended families are born out of loss — and the grief from that loss can make it difficult to bond.

Whether it was divorce, death, or separation — there was an 'earthquake' of loss that preceded your current blended family structure.

And every member of your family will experience some kind of grief along way as ongoing sadness and painful emotions emerge.  Those are the unavoidable 'aftershocks' of loss.  

Most of us tend to avoid the lingering sorrow of loss that exists.  It's easy for us to miss the grief our kids and step-kids might be experiencing.  Not intentionally, of course.  We simply want to move forward.  We don't want to stay stuck.

But the truth is that ignoring or underestimating the impact of loss can easily become a barrier to bonding and create frustration, resentment, and anger.

In this episode, we'll explore the tough realities that impact every blended family around acknowledging and navigating loss — for adults and kids.

Plus, we'll share 10 tips for overcoming this challenge and finding the courage to create a shared grief journey for your family which ultimately leads to deeper connection and healthy integration. 

You'll Discover:

• Possible losses children experience when blending — and how family integration might be negatively impacted
• The benefits of surfacing loss and working through ongoing grief

Resources from this Episode:

• Book by Ron Deal:  The Smart Stepfamily
• Book by Ron Deal:  Preparing to Blend
• Book by John Gottman:  Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child
• Episode 81:  How a Missing Bio-Parent Impacts Kids in the Delicate Blending Process
• Episode 21:  What is the Stranded Stranger & Trapped Teammate Experience? 
• Episode 37:  Why do Kids Struggle to Accept Their Stepparent? 
• Episode 40:  Uncover the Unspoken Feelings of Kids in Blended Families
• Episode 85:  How to Uniquely Build More Love and Connection in Your Blended Family with Ron Deal
• Episode 39:  How to Create Strong Bonds with Resistant Step-Kids
• Episode 71:  How to Help Kids Cope with Painful Disappointment
• Episode 72:  The Best Way to Create Healthy, Bonded Relationships

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