Passion, or more accurately the opportunities to follow my own passions, severely decline once a step family are joined together. I don’t just mean the amorous kind of passion which is achieved between the freshly pressed bed sheets. Of course this is true and a stolen kiss becomes as exciting […]
Paul
I’m cool! I’m hip! I’m trendy! Merely uttering these phrases means I never have been nor will I ever be. The closest to cool I’ve ever been is an ill-fated skiing trip to France as a teenager. This inability to be up with trends has been exaggerated since I have […]
O is for OMG! [A-Z of Step-Parenting]
The sooner this phrase becomes a part of your daily vocabulary the greater your life will be. In most homes the word ‘no’ will not suffice yet the above phrase appears to cut the mustard. A simple ‘no’ will bring forth the regulation whinging from your wonderful step children regarding […]
N is for No Chance [A-Z of Step-Parenting]
I’m a morning person. I always have been. I probably always will be. I enjoy the peace and quiet of a Sunday morning. I like that I can get things done while others are in a deep sleep. My wife is the opposite, she likes to turn over and get […]
M is for Mornings [A-Z of Step-Parenting]
No matter how close you are to your step children or what wonderful things you do for them their default confidant will be their Mum (or Dad). Take for example when they are young and learning to ride a bike. They fall off and scrape their little knee. As you […]
L is for Last to Find Out [A-Z of Step-Parenting]
The kitchen can be the hub of a home. It can provide a place of quiet when needed or the mainstay of mayhem depending on what activity is occurring. In our house the kitchen has transformed as the boys have aged. It used to be a place where they would […]
K is for Kitchen [The A-Z of Step-Parenting]
The list is endless. Daily jobs, weekly jobs, jobs which need someone else to do them. There are jobs that are pipe dreams and jobs that are half finished. This, quite clearly, is not restricted to my household nor is it a by-product of being a step parent. However, as […]
J is for Jobs [The A-Z of Step-Parenting]
Individuality as such, should be celebrated. In our house it’s simple. We all have things we enjoy, we all have things we share and we all have things we wish the others would keep to themselves. With individuality I’m not thinking about the teenager who decides to dress as in […]
I is for Individuality [The A-Z of Step-Parenting]
Having reviewed some of my previous entries I have acknowledged that moving in with my family has made me a grumpy man. I’m sure my family would disagree and say that I was a grumpy man before I moved in. Taking this into account it is clear that happiness comes […]
H is for Happiness [The A-Z of Step-Parenting]
A garden, if you’re lucky enough to have one, is a space to be enjoyed by all. Therefore it would make sense that all would enter into the work ethic of keeping it maintained. Not a chance but for a change this is at my insistence. I have often wondered […]
G is for Garden [The A-Z of Step-Parenting]
We are blessed that we have never chased finance and as a result weigh time as a greater commodity. Yet the value of BOSD (Bank of Step Dad) is far more than simply handing over cash. Our cash flow is carefully counted, counted again and regular discussions take place over […]
F is for Finance [The A-Z of Step-Parenting]
There are two types of evening: winter and summer. The winter ones go on for ever and the summer ones tend to be fraught with tension. Previously my weekday evenings were relaxed, docile affairs. I’d come home from a day at work, cook, eat, shower, read, complete any small jobs, […]