Jill's WOW Story:
…’Til the one day when this lady met this fella… Here’s a story of a lovely lady… okay, okay, I will spare you the rest of the Brady Bunch theme song! If you were around in the 70’s, I’m sure you remember this popular television show, and that there were six kids that Mike and Carol Brady “brought together”, in what today’s terms would be called a “Blended Family” (families that include step-parents, step-children and step-grandparents). This infamous family went through trials and tribulations, good times and bad, but by the end of the one hour show, everything would be all worked out and they all lived happily ever after. Ah, the bliss of it all! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all Blended Families could end out this way?! Sadly, it is my experience that most Blended Families do not end up this way. However, we are living proof that THEY CAN be successful and happy! You see, I have had my own “Brady Bunch” for the last fifteen years! And, no…there was definitely no Alice in the picture! Back in 1996, I fell in love with a man that had four children who ranged in age from three to eight years old. At the time, I was living alone with my own two children then one and four years old. Being a single mother can daunt and wear down the best of them, but being a step-parent…well, is even more difficult, I can assure you! At the beginning, my husband’s children were not living with us. But very soon, one by one, his kids migrated over to live with the new “Mr. and Mrs. Brady”, until one day – seven years ago – we had all six kids living together under the same roof! Yes, early on, I had all these fantasy, dreamy thoughts that we all would become one big happy family and live happily ever after – just like Mike and Carol Brady – right? Well, I learned very quickly that raising your own children and raising someone else’s children are two very different tasks. I won’t sugar coat this story and tell you it was all peachy and keen! In fact, there were many times over the years that I questioned what I got myself into! As a step-parent, you deal with the fact that each parent has a different style of parenting, each child has their own insecurities and fears about the new “parent”, and the blending of this *complicated *type of family has been known to bring down even the *best* of relationships. However, my husband and I made a pact very early in our relationship, that we were not just marrying “each other”, but were marrying each other AND the six little people as well! We even had a “Wedding of the Family”, back in 2000 in which we included all the children in a beautiful wedding ceremony. Each child had to pick their own flower (to represent the unique difference in each of them) and they all had their own vows to understand that they were now a part of a “new” family. We made it very clear that their “other” parents and families were just as important, but that our family would grow together and carve out our own future. Our beautiful “Blended” family has had many ups and downs like all families do, but all-in-all, we are very close and if you walk into our house, you would not be able to guess who belongs to who…because we all treat each other as a healthy family should. I have a wonderful husband and just as wonderful children to make this family successful, however I have been told that it is my gift of “Effective Communication” that has been the foundation of helping this family thrive. I love helping people and am especially gifted with children and young adults. I have been gifted and called a fantastic communicator my entire life. I have always been passionate about expressing one’s true feelings and being honest with people, whether it be a spouse, a child, a co-worker or a friend. Continued at Right... |  
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