When a child loses a parent, grief doesn't end for them. And when they join a stepfamily, we need to come alongside them with love and support as parents and stepparents as we honor their pain and memories. Ron Deal talks with Diane Fromme about what helps and what hinders, especially as stepparents with grieving stepchildren.

 Fromme explains how a stepparent can never replace a biological parent and functions as an "and," not an "instead." Stepparents will likely face rejection, insecurity, and feelings of being an outsider; however, with humility and ongoing love and support, they can, over time, develop meaningful and significant relationships with stepchildren following loss.

Show Notes and Resources

• Learn about Diane and get a copy of, Stepparenting the Grieving Child
• You can still register for the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry 
• Find a small group on the searchable map and browse Ron's speaking schedule 
• Send a gift to help with FamilyLife Blended's work 

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A neurodivergent marriage is when at least one partner has a neurodevelopmental condition like autism or ADHD. In this episode, Ron Deal speaks with Dr. Stephanie Holmes and her husband, Dan, who struggled to face that their young child was on the autism spectrum. Many years later, Dan discovered his own autism diagnosis.

Neurodiverse couples face unique challenges with communication, emotional expression, and sensory sensitivities that can include physical touch and intimacy, along with a lack of understanding between both partners. Stephanie & Dan offer support and guidance on how to recognize neurodiversity and strategies to cope with it.

Show Notes and Resources

• Register for the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry 
• Learn more about Dr. Stephanie and Dan Holmes and their book Uniquely Us 
• Read Ron and Dr. Stephanie Holmes article: Autism and the blended family 
• Learn more about Embracing The Autism Spectrum 
• Listen to podcast 46: Autism and the Blended Family 
• Give a tax-deductible gift 

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Ron Deal speaks with Gayla Grace about her new book, Beautifully Blended: 101 Devotions to Encourage Couples in Blended Families. This book offers support and advice with relatable anecdotes, along with a devotion, prayer, and Bible reading for each day.

Every day dynamics in blended families are addressed with answers to common situations that often create struggle, such as stepparenting, co-parenting, marital conflict, and challenges in relationship-building. Grace offers practical tips that provide hope for blended families by encouraging them to trust God, seek His wisdom, persevere through challenges, offer grace freely and often, count their blessings, and recognize God’s redeeming power in relationships.

Show Notes and Resources

• Learn about Gayla 
• Get your copy of Beautifully Blended! 
• Make plans to join us in Nashville at the Summit! 
• Send a tax-deductible gift to FamilyLife Blended. 

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In-law relationships can be delicate and challenging, especially when they involve a former spouse. Ron Deal speaks with Dave and Ashley Willis about how to prevent feelings of powerlessness and frustration as we build bridges, not battlegrounds, in difficult relationships. Establishing healthy boundaries can safeguard our mental health and encourage healing from past wounds. Honest conversations convey respect—even when relationships are full of tension. Grace-filled discussions that reflect our ability to see the best in others and extend forgiveness when we’ve been wronged allow God’s love to reach hardened hearts.

God wants to redeem relationships, and as we do our part with difficult in-law relationships, God will honor our efforts.

Show Notes and Resources

• Listen to the podcast Grandparenting and the Blended Family. 
• Learn about Dave and Ashley and get their Married Into The Family book. 
• Join us in Nashville for the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry 
• Email [email protected] for small group coaching or check out The Smart Stepfamily free series to get started. 
• Our small group searchable map 
• Ron's list of certified counselors 
• Clinical Training 

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Ron Deal and Gayla Grace answer questions from Blended & Blessed, such as: how do I manage tug of war feelings between my spouse and my children; how do I talk to my teenager who doesn't want me to remarry after his dad died; what are common ghosts of marriage past and how do we cope with them, how do we effectively place limits on screen time and hold the boundaries in our home when the other home has no limits; how do I calm my heart as a stepmom when my adult stepchild is rejecting me and what steps can I take to help, and many more.

Show Notes and Resources

• Learn about Blended & Blessed 
• Get the Complete Blended & Blessed Digital All-Access Pass 
• Join us at the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry 
• Get a copy of The Mindful Marriage wherever you get books. 

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Blake Hudspeth grew up in multiple stepfamilies as a result of death & divorce and described his family to Ron Deal as pieced together. As a result, he struggled with complicated emotions and unresolved wounds well into adulthood.

 Now, Hudspeth wants to help others who’ve grown up in complex blended family dynamics learn how to reconcile a difficult upbringing with hope for the future. He understands how to grieve a family he wanted but didn't have and the importance of forgiving his parents for their part in the instability of his upbringing, which created distrust and uncertainty for him. He advises parents that one of the most important pieces in helping their kids who are growing up blended is simply acknowledging the pain they are carrying.

Show Notes and Resources

• Make plans to join us at the Summit on Stepfamily ministry in October 
• Send a donation to FamilyLife Blended 
• Get a copy of The Smart Stepfamily 
• Access for leaders to the tip sheet on ministering to students 

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Guidance and hope for blending families can be found in stories from scripture. Ron Deal talks with Laura Petherbridge about her latest book, Stepfamilies of the Bible: Timeless Wisdom for Blended Families. Through true stories of God's heroes from stepfamilies of biblical times, Petherbridge offers practical tools to build unity, overcome complexity, foster love, and create lasting relationships for today's blended families. Through families such as David's, a man after God's own heart, and Joseph's, the favored son of Jacob, we learn how God can use sin done to us and sin done by us for His glory, and redeem relationships, regardless of how messy and broken they are.

Show Notes and Resources

• Summit on Stepfamily Ministry Information 
• Learn about Laura Petherbridge and Stepfamilies of The Bible 
• Send a gift to help the FamilyLife Blended team 
• Get a copy of The Smart Stepmom 

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Divorce and the death of a spouse naturally bring grief. But we don't always recognize the grief our kids also carry after walking through hard circumstances. Ron Deal talks with Stanley & Mryna Brown on how they navigated grief when they married. Stanley had lost his first wife to cancer, later remarried briefly, then divorced. Myrna had also been through a divorce and was a single mom for ten years before marrying Stanley. They both had two children who struggled with their own grief and loss. Through counseling, Stanley and Myrna began to understand more about their children’s grief and how to help them work through the unique grief each of them carried, allowing relationship building within the family to more easily develop.

Show Notes and Resources

• Watch Myrna's encouraging videos for your family! 
• Watch the Griffies' story 
• Learn about the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry 
• Shop for books like In Their Shoes and The Smart Stepfamily 
• Donate to FamilyLife Blended 

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Every blended family navigates common stages on their way to finding familyness. It's not uncommon to experience the questioning stage, where you begin to doubt if you've made the right decision about your newly blended family, and you take a detour or two as you navigate your circumstances. Or perhaps you get stuck along the way as you walk through a crisis together. And what about the rewards stage? Wondering if you’ll ever get to that one?

Gayla Grace shares the six stages of stepfamily development, how to navigate each stage well, and what it takes to build loving, connected relationships along the way.

Show Notes and Resources

• Join us on the Love Like You Mean It Cruise! 
• Watch Women and Blended Families 
• Get details for The Summit on Stepfamily Ministry 
• Learn more about Gayla 

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Good co-parenting with a former spouse helps kids navigate life in two homes with greater ease. Ron Deal's conversation with Jay and Tammy Daughtry teaches us how to be parental partners, not angry associates, as we compartmentalize the pain from divorce and manage co-parenting through a businesslike relationship. They emphasized the importance of congenial handoffs during the parental exchange, biological time spent with biological parents/kids, recognizing unrealistic expectations of former spouse relationships, reframing sensitive days on the calendar to minimize emotional landmines, and understanding two dynamics often at play:

Bio fog—when a deep connection between biological parents and kids creates fog with the parent, who then often tolerates misbehavior.

Step vision—when an objective stepparent quickly identifies shortfalls in stepchildren and often communicates them harshly.

Show Notes and Resources

• Learn about the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry 
• Find a qualified counselor 
• Check out Jay & Tammy's resources 
• Send a tax deductible gift 

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