Search Results for: blog dealing with all the ex relatives during the holidays

Tips for First Time Hosts of Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is celebrated with family. It always includes a big dinner with tons of food. This can be overwhelming for first time hosts of Thanksgiving dinner. Don’t panic! Try these tips to help calm your nerves and make your first hosting a successful one. There are two things that can make a person who is hosting Thanksgiving dinner nervous. One is that the guests are going to expect specific foods that are made exactly the way that mom or grandma used to make. Their big expectations can be hard to live up to. The other difficulty, of course, is that … Continue reading →

Santa vs. Generous Grandparents

Who needs Santa when you’ve got grandparents? There have been many times when I have seriously considered hiding some of the dozens of Christmas presents my parents have sent my daughter and attaching gift tags that read, “From: Santa Claus” and sticking them under the tree on December 25th. My parent’s generosity is overwhelming… not that I’m complaining (my kid sure isn’t). It’s just that it’s getting harder and harder for me… I mean Santa… to compete with grandma and grandpa when it comes to holiday gift giving. For the record I should note that my 4-year-old is very blessed … Continue reading →

Blended and Divorced Families and Major Events—Part Two

I promised when I was writing Part One of this series on getting through major family events when you are part of a blended, divorced, and rearranged modern family that I would write this article providing tips for HOW to actually cope and survive. I do think there are some skills and coping mechanisms that can make it less stressful. Try to remember that you STILL cannot control what other people do or how they react. I know this can be a hard one and I am one of those single parents whose first inclination is try to organize the … Continue reading →

Blended and Divorced Families and Major Events—Part One

For many of us single parents, most of the time we can get away with NOT having to interact with our ex-in-laws or other extended family members on a regular basis. In fact, as the children get older—even parents who have shared custody may find that they rarely have to talk to each other. When major life events come along, however—such as a wedding, funeral, birth of a baby, or (as is my current family situation, graduation)—we are forced to have to figure out how to get along, coordinate and/or detach in order to salvage what sanity we can. I … Continue reading →

Coping with “Us” and “Them”–Part One

At my house, it is just me and my children, (and a few pets too), but when my children are with their dad, there is a whole other step-family to contend with–another “parent” and a step-brother too. One of the more painful and constant issues my kids are wrestling with now is the feeling of division a their other house. They don’t feel like one cohesive family and it bothers them. Even though I am not living it first-hand, I am often the one that they want to talk things through with… I must first say that I have not … Continue reading →

Dealing with all the Ex-Relatives During the Holidays

As I have been writing recently about some of the challenges that are unique to single parent families during this busy holiday time of year, it dawned on me that for many of us, the holidays are the one time of year that we find ourselves face-to-face with members of our children’s “other” family. With all the focus on family, dealing with ex-in-laws and others can be a definite reality for many of us. Even for those of us who have reasonably amiable relations with all of those old, ex-relations–it can still pose some challenges and keep us from enjoying … Continue reading →