Sit down with your partner to align on house rules before addressing them with the kids. Disagreement between parents is where "splitting" (pitting one against the other) happens. 4. Emotional Self-Care: Protecting Your Hard Drive
| Every Week | One check-in with partner about role clarity (not kid complaints). | |------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------| | Every Month | One fun activity just for you (unrelated to stepfamily). | | Every Season | Ask yourself: “What old expectation can I release today?” | | As Needed | Read one page of stepmom support literature (e.g., Stepmonster by Wednesday Martin). | stepmother re-program