Category: Stepfathers

With the arrival of Father’s Day this month, seems like it’s just another day for stepdads to hear (and feel) they aren’t “real.” This is incredibly interesting, but it does nothing to shed the sadness off the daily situation for the true American heroes on June 20th – stepdads. We are heroes because we make […]

It’s been said a man’s view of the world changes once he has become a parent. To some extent, this is true. On the other hand, one’s core values and sense of life become clearer and stronger. I have been a stepfather for well over three years. My stepdaughter, now 17 years of age, has […]

After three years of marriage, I found myself in a therapist’s office on a Saturday morning holding hands with my wife and stepson. We were crying because our problems had turned our family interactions into tumultuous encounters. Beneath my tears lay the greatest frustration of my adult life: Marriage and stepparenting, to which I had […]

While this article is going to focus on being a step-Dad, it is aimed not only at men but also at women with children who intend to re-marry. Being a step-Dad in many ways is really no different from being a Dad, but comes with it’s own challenges and extra responsibilities. First there is the […]

There are lots of divorced and single dads around. And for just about every one of them, there’s a divorced or single mother. Many of these moms and dads get together and form stepfamilies. There is even a highly successful, nationwide organization (Parents Without Partners) that thrives on putting these people together. This makes sense. […]

“When one has not had a good father, one must create one…” – -Nietzsche As usual, Nietzsche makes a profound point using both a sledgehammer and a slick sense of subtlety. Perhaps it’s odd to quote a controversial philosopher like Nietzsche on Father’s Day, but the two aphorisms I chose to include in this column […]