The Grace of the Blended Family

The Blended Family. The concept of a blended family {image via} had never crossed my mind. I grew up with both of my biological parents in the home and when I married at 23 years old, I thought that it would be forever! Well, happily ever after was not the ending to that story. By age 30, I was divorced, remarried and expecting a baby! When my husband and I married, we both had one (1) child from a previous marriage! When our son was born, our family circle was officially complete at the time…and now with the addition of a baby girl this year, our family is really complete, giving us a grande total of 2 boys and 2 girls!

Now what exactly is a blended family? A blended family is defined as a family made of two parents and their children from previous marriages. A family where one parent has children, from a previous relationship, that are not genetically related to the other parent. Either one or both parents may have children from a previous relationship. Children from a stepfamily may live with one biological parent and visit their other biological parent, or they may live with each biological parent for a period of time.(Reference: Wiki)

The dynamics of the blended family are different from the traditional family. The obvious, the roles of the parent/step-parent in the home may be different. However, when done the right way, with God’s help, blended families can be successful. I feel ours definitely fit the definition of success because we put the work into it.

Some Key Factors to our Successful Blended Family:

Jesus Baby! Our faith in God is number one. We teach the bible and keep prayer in our home. We also like to seek out Christian resource material that speaks specifically to the blended family. For instance, a blended family teaching by Joe McGee Ministries was very good.
Communication. Keeping each other on the “up and up” on what’s going on with the other parent (the ex), etc. Whenever something is going down or about to go down, my hubs and I inform each other such that we are on the same page.
Love like Jesus loves. Having no respect of persons (No Favorites) in our home, such that no child feels like the step child. We treat all of our children with the same love that God extends to us.
Extending Grace. When challenges arise with the “other” parent (by golly as they DO), extending grace toward them/the situation, even when it seems that they are trying to be difficult, has been key.
Being open to change. Lots of changes happen in our household. For instance, sometimes schedules are just inconvenient when trying to make plans. But being open to change, allows for a sense of stability. Meaning, since we know that there is always a possibility that something will change, we are prepared for that.

So I called this post the “Grace” of the blended family because I truly feel that grace is extended to the blended family due to added stress factors and the different dynamics that it involves. I’m so glad that God has been with us and that he has graced our family to be the successful blended family that it is!

Do you have a successful blended family story…I’d love to hear it? What factor(s) of success can you add to the list?

The Grace of the Blended Family