I wasn’t going to do another post on this subject, because I seriously thought that it might be too much dealing with one particular thing or subject.

Instead what I realized by the original post, and the comments and emails I have been getting ever since, is that it is a problem that a lot of families face, and it might be helpful to delve into it a bit more.

First, you need to review your situation. You need to look at it from all angles, and be sure that there really is a problem. What I mean is, are you sure that there are children who aren’t getting as much as others? Are you looking at all sides of this? For instance, it might seem as if some of the kids are getting all these gifts from extended family members, but don’t the other kids have extended family members that also might spoil the children?

Are there times when certain children are at home with you, while others are away, and that might be spoiled a little in other ways?

For instance, I tend to do more with my children when the step-kids are visiting their mom every other weekend. We go out for ice cream, sometimes to dinner, we might take in a movie or visit the zoo or something else. While it might not see like a gift, it is special time with my children and the other kids are not involved at that point because they are off with their own mother.

Or does it seem like maybe you cannot do these things with your children, and maybe it is when the step-kids are away - they are the ones being spoiled. Sometimes this cannot be controlled and building a healthy relationship with your own children should be foremost in your mind.

You might be surprised to learn that even just sitting down and reading or doing crafts with your kids will make them happier than getting gifts.
Take a walk, play a game, watch a movie snuggled together (yes even with older kids), etc. You need to teach your children that gifts are not everything, the gift of time and love is far more important than any old monetary thing. Now, with all of that said, it is still difficult for younger children to appreciate that. So I will delve further into that in a future article.

Have a happy day!

Not actually on purpose, but it seems I took a mini-vacation. It was the kids Spring Break and my kids are on year round school, so their Spring Break winds up lasting three whole weeks, although they lost the last week because of snow day make up. Talk about some not so happy kids. I will try and do a bit better about updating, especially realizing how many people out there count on my help.

Also, please understand that what works for us, is not necessarily going to be the saving grace for your family. My family is filled with lots of prayer and faith, which seriously helps. We have our problems just as any blended family or step family has, but we work on it together and it usually makes a big difference.

Blended families take LOADS of patience, and that is something I have found myself working on a lot!

I’ll be back regularly now!

Oh, and if you are in the least bit creative, or like crafty projects, feel free to check out my creative blog.