{"id":4745,"date":"2013-09-16T13:15:57","date_gmt":"2013-09-16T13:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/prayables\/?p=4745"},"modified":"2013-09-16T13:16:53","modified_gmt":"2013-09-16T13:16:53","slug":"how-to-make-the-blended-family-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/prayables\/2013\/09\/how-to-make-the-blended-family-work.html","title":{"rendered":"How to Make the Blended Family Work"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"blended<\/a>I am the grandmother of a blended family, which is defined in the Oxford dictionary as \u201ca family consisting of a couple and their children from previous relationships.\u201d A blended family is a complex institution. I know from 22 years of experience. I contend that the matriarch of the family can successfully blend through her wisdom and values.<\/p>\n

I play many roles in this blended family of mine. I am the mother, the stepmother, the wife of a man with his children and grandchildren, a mother-in-law and stepmother-in-law.<\/p>\n

My easiest role (aside from being a wife) is grandmother to my 15 amazing grandchildren, blended or not. In my heart of hearts I love each of them and I know they love me. This is my recipe for success:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Continuous contact. Texting, email, and telephone. Conversations end with, “I am only a text or call away.”<\/li>\n
  2. I am their grandmother, not their parent. I am hugs and kisses and praise.<\/li>\n
  3. I remember how I felt at their age. This is very important.<\/li>\n
  4. Grandchildren receive the same gift on their birthdays and all other important occasions.<\/li>\n
  5. I am a very good listener.<\/li>\n
  6. I teach seeing the positive side of everything.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    It is not easy to be the matriarch of the family, let alone the blended family. My best advice: BE A ROLE MODEL \u2013 A PERSON THAT YOUR GRANDCHILDREN DREAM TO BECOME ONE DAY.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

    Do Something GOOD Today: Make a conscious effort to be the kind of gramma you want to be for your grandchildren.<\/p>\n

    –Gramma Good<\/a><\/p>\n

    \"gramma<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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I contend that the matriarch of the family can successfully blend through her…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":463,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[722],"tags":[3294,3252,156,3221],"class_list":["post-4745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-motivational-how-tos","tag-gramma-good","tag-how-to-make-the-blended-family-work","tag-prayables","tag-susan-good"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Make the Blended Family Work - Prayables<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/prayables\/2013\/09\/how-to-make-the-blended-family-work.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Make the Blended Family Work - Prayables\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I am the grandmother of a blended family, which is defined in the Oxford dictionary as \u201ca family consisting of a couple and their children from previous relationships.\u201d A blended family is a complex institution. 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