As much as you’d love to come home from the honeymoon to a smoothly-humming family unit that everyone just loves, the reality is that it takes time for a stepfamily to really gel – even when everyone genuinely likes everyone else.

Wouldn't it be great if everyone just sort of fell into place in your new family?

In many ways, they may! You may have done a lot to prepare them.  You can never really know how it will be until you've done it, though.

The pull of your new partner and the tug of your children in a different direction can challenge the best of parents.

Kids react to all the changes in ways that may be hard to handle.

Most new stepparents learn their new role by trial and error, and may get disappointed or frustrated when the “errors” pile up.

It’s a sad fact that about 60% of remarriages involving children do not last. It takes knowledge and skill as well as love, commitment, and patience to design a family that sticks together for the long haul.

Knowledge is power. Knowing more about what it takes and what is required will give you more confidence to help the family get along better and run smoother while you build the kind of family connections that only time can bring about.

You can design a family that sticks together, and grows together into a loving, lasting family.

• Develop your vision of who you are and how you will function as a family
• Establish your own rules, roles, routines and rituals
• Learn to disagree in a way that brings you closer together instead of pulling you apart
• Build memories through sharing activities, events, and family favorites
• Take care of the relationship between the two of you

This site and the services I offer through Step by Step Coaching are designed to help you develop the knowledge and skills to steer your family through the process of becoming a cohesive family unit.

To get both the “Five Secrets of Happy Stepfamilies” article, and the Step by Step Newsletter, enter your name and email address in the subscription box at the right.

"Family by Design: Five stages to becoming the family you want to be" is a guide to help you make the transition from the event that creates your family to the real sense of connection, commitment and belonging together that truly make you a family.  When you know what it takes to become a family, you can focus on using each stage to bring your family together. You can have a sense of direction and confidence instead of wondering what is happening and where you are headed. The design stages are necessary and predictable, but most couples are not prepared for them. I've outlined not only the stages, but the questions and decisions that you need to address in each stage so that you can guide the process instead of being at its mercy.

You can download your copy of "Family by Design" in our Store.  Just $10.00 and this article will get you on your way to designing your family to be happy and last.

You can also read my blog, check out the rest of this site and follow the links to other resources to help you on the wonderful journey of designing your new family. 

You are welcome to email your questions, or call me to talk about how I might be able to help you as you design your family.

Blessings to all of you!

Marcia