Unfortunately, the title “stepmom” comes with a variety of opinions, right? There seems to be little or no resources out there to help today’s stepmom thrive in her household environment, which is shocking to me based on the high divorce rates, especially with second marriages. This truth is more depressing when stepmoms are trying to get their hands on something FAST when undergoing needless stress or attacks. This is why I turned my dream to help coach stepmoms into a reality, stepmoms need help!
Let’s discuss the topic of “attacks.” If you have been a stepmom long enough, you know exactly what I mean when attacks will just about boil your blood. In my prior years, I let attacks get the best of me and I regretted it too. This is why my hope for you is to help coach you towards staying in a powerful role with dignity, grace, confidence, and with the chief focus to be centered on the best interest of your family. I am not sure if you heard me girl, I said “your family.” Remember, this is your domain sister. You need to protect it, control it, and foster it.
So how do you normally react when you are called something, accused of something or your image is absolutely being constantly polluted? Think about it for a moment. If you are anything like I was you are hitting speed dial to your best friend, counting down the minutes until your husband gets home, and your stomach is a mess! You just cannot believe that, once again, you are being targeted. It just seems anything you try to do to foster peace, relationship, and love is up for judgment, right? Once you allow yourself to get pretty ticked off, you can cloud your ability to handle the situation. So here is your tip, my sweet friend. Ready?
TIP: Respond rather than react
When we immediately react to something we are not thinking clearly and we can hurt the people we love. Also, we can give power to the one that hurt us subjecting us to further emotional pain. Do you really want to give this person a reason to continue to attack you? Exactly! Reacting can be summed up in a way where you just say whatever first comes to your mind or you do not take time to process the best way to handle the situation. Responding is a much better choice. When you decide to respond, you are preserving your image, your integrity, and your sanctuary or otherwise known as home. Responding creates an opportunity to think through if the attack is even worth dealing with and often times you will realize it is a silly way to make you feel inferior. The attack truly has nothing to do with you and ultimately is none of your business. You know you. Your hubby and children know you and that is all that truly matters. Take the time and energy you normally would allot towards retaliating or reacting and channel it right back towards love for your family, which is a much better investment.
Together in this role,
Kristin XOXO!
