5 Tips For Becoming A Stepparent

Life Kit

NPR

Business, Kids & Family, Health & Fitness, Education, Self-improvement

4.5 • 4.9K Ratings

🗓️ 19 August 2021

⏱️ 21 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Becoming a parent is challenging, and the same is true for those becoming stepparents. In this episode, we talk to experts — some of whom are stepparents themselves — about how you can navigate the process. They share their do's: let the biological parent deal with discipline — and their don'ts: don't say anything to the child that you wouldn't want them to repeat to the other parent.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is NPR's life kit. I'm Kavita Kadusa.
0:03.7	Kisha Batzuli was excited to become a step-present.
0:06.8	When I started off, I felt like I was in a Disneyland world, fairy tale, ending.
0:11.6	I loved it. Her husband was amazing.
0:14.1	Her four-year-old stepson was adorable.
0:17.1	She even invited her stepson's mother to the wedding.
0:20.6	But as Batzuli settled into family life, her role began to feel
0:25.4	hard. You're trying to find your way. You're trying to find where you fit.
0:28.7	You're trying to find what works best.
0:30.6	And if some of the people in that family are not receptive or accepting of you,
0:35.0	then there's a challenge there.
0:36.9	Today, Batzuli is far more comfortable in her role as a step-parent and has a close relationship
0:42.2	with her 13-year-old stepson.
0:44.4	She even has an online platform blended on the rock that helps other families navigate
0:49.9	step-family relationships. She knows what went wrong in the beginning.
0:54.3	Having too many plans or an expectation of what you think this should be like is the absolute
1:00.8	worst. Like, that is an epic fail. Take it from me. Epic fail.
1:05.1	I'm realistic expectations. I had this family idea of what I wanted it to be like.
1:10.0	And they're never going to do this and they're never going to do that. No, that's not the case.
1:14.2	That's not the case. We're all transitioning here, right? We're all trying to figure it out.
1:19.5	This episode of LifeKit is about how to become a step-parent.
1:23.6	It's a term that's loaded. In fact, step-parent sometimes feels so negative.
	...

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