Stepdads

In Stepdads: Stories of Love, Hope, and Repair, William Marsiglio addresses provocative and timely questions facing stepfathers, single mothers, and remarried couples today. Drawing on revealing in-depth interviews, Marsiglio explores how stepfathers and their partners with minor children of all ages make sense of their feelings and circumstances while managing the challenges of their unconventional families. He outlines individual, social, and legal strategies to enhance stepfathers,' mothers,' and children's lives.

StepDads, Showing Up & Showing Out is a humorous and interesting view of Dr. Rice’s growth, development, perspectives, and experiences as a STEPFATHER (STEPDAD). Rice’s first person perspective presents learning curves and experiences that hopefully provides support, wisdom, and encouragement to those MEN, (and the WOMEN who love and adore them), who have taken on the Difficult, Stressful, Mind-Blowing, Frustrating, Awesome, Honorable, Humbling, Rewarding, Enriching, and Blessed opportunity to be a STEPFATHER (STEPDAD). Rice describes how he had to grow in Spirituality, Patience, Self-Reflection, Understanding, Mental Health Awareness, Love Languages, Wisdom, and Financial Creativity. Rice’s goal is to Encourage, Equip, Strengthen, and Empower those MEN (and the WOMEN who love and adore them), to fully embrace the Challenges, Responsibilities, Honor, and Blessings associated with being a STEPFATHER (STEPDAD). The Ultimate Challenge, as a STEPFATHER (STEPDAD), is to Always Show Up! & Show Out! God is Watching!

While resources abound for stepmothers, stepfathers are often left to travel a difficult road without clear directions. Ron Deal offers advice for men navigating the stepfamily minefield, including how to connect with stepchildren, being a godly role model, how to discipline, dealing with the biological dad, and keeping the bond strong with one's new spouse. He gives perspective on what the kids are going through and why things don't work the same as in a biological family. The Smart Stepdad provides essential guidelines to help stepfathers not only survive but succeed as both dad and husband.

Stepdads are the unsung heroes of America. They are here to teach and to pick up slack. Sometimes their great knowledge is over looked because they are never as good as their wife's ex husband Rick who was more successful, more attractive and looked better with his shirt off...so my stepdad told me. But nonetheless, The Funny Stepdad's book is filled with great photos and thoughts my stepdad once told me when I was growing up. Now you can enjoy them around a coffee table or mostly likely, on the toilet.

What is the boy crisis? It's a crisis of education. Worldwide, boys are 50 percent less likely than girls to meet basic proficiency in reading, math, and science. It's a crisis of mental health. ADHD is on the rise. And as boys become young men, their suicide rates go from equal to girls to six times that of young women. It's a crisis of fathering. Boys are growing up with less-involved fathers and are more likely to drop out of school, drink, do drugs, become delinquent, and end up in prison. It's a crisis of purpose. Boys' old sense of purpose—being a warrior, a leader, or a sole breadwinner—are fading. Many bright boys are experiencing a "purpose void," feeling alienated, withdrawn, and addicted to immediate gratification. So, what is The Boy Crisis? A comprehensive blueprint for what parents, teachers, and policymakers can do to help our sons become happier, healthier men, and fathers and leaders worthy of our respect.

According to Mehaffie, boys need mentors, role models guiding them on their journey to manhood. Through life experiences and practical advice, the author challenges and motivates men to become godly mentors. (Christian Religion)

Adoptive Families in a Diverse Society brings together twenty-one prominent scholars to explore the experience, practice, and policy of adoption in North America. While much existing literature tends to stress the potential problems inherent in non-biological kinship, the essays in this volume consider adoptive family life in a broad and balanced context. Bringing new perspectives to the topics of kinship, identity, and belonging, this path-breaking book expands more than our understandings of adoptive family life; it urges us to rethink the limits and possibilities of diversity and assimilation in American society.

Love may be sweeter the second time around, but once the bliss of a newfound relationship wears off a little, the reality of being part of a stepfamily sets in. If you are one of the millions of remarried Americans facing the challenge of blending two existing families into one cohesive whole, you are part of a stepcouple—and you know all too well how hard it can be to make your marriage work in sometimes tough terrain. Different parenting styles, finances, relationships with ex-spouses, legal matters, and even seemingly simple issues such as the kinds of chores assigned to children can chisel away at your union if you don’t always make your marriage a priority. Stepcoupling offers advice for stepcouples on how to do just that—all the while strengthening their blended family with a healthy marriage. Susan Wisdom and Jennifer Green provide tips and strategies on dealing with the issues remarried couples face, with a wealth of advice from real-life stepcouples, such as: * Learning to tailor your expectations of your spouse or children and remembering that no family is perfect * Knowing where your boundaries are, whether involving a hostile ex-spouse or a stepchild who demands too much attention * Realizing that traits like flexibility, tolerance, forgiveness, and openness are especially essential in a stepfamily situation * Making “us” time for talking, problem-solving, weekends away, and enjoying your marriage to constantly renew and strengthen your bond as a couple Let this invaluable remarriage manual help you make your stepcouple the foundation of a strong, happy, and successful stepfamily.