Stepfamily Foundation Blog featuring Articles and News from Dr. Jeannette Lofas

Ten Steps For Stepfamilies For The Holidays

11/5/2025

10 Steps For Stepfamilies For The Holidays

With the holidays approaching , here are ten steps for stepfamilies by Dr. Jeannette Lofas

Plan, Plan, Plan. Good co-parenting means that ex have holiday times planned well in advance.
Pick Up And Delivery is pleasant.
Gifts one child, step or bio, should not get excessively more gifts. Parents need to discuss major gifts.
Expectations of Roles And Responsibilities of the children and grown ups.
Manners, Forms And Norms are described and agreed to by the parent(s), stepparent and children.
Civility. Exes act respectfully toward each other. It only hurts the children.
All The Children Help With The Festivities e.g., trim the tree, make cookies, help light Chanukah menorah, cook the latkes, set the table etc.
Parent Is Not An Entertainment Center Watch your parenting. Just say “No.” Smile no discussions about rules.
Say Thank You to the cooks, grand parents, the mom, the dad, and the stepmom/dad and to the kids for pulling it all together and making it a blessed day.
Have Fun.

Happy Fathers’ Day to Fathers, Grandfathers and Stepfathers!

6/9/2022

FATHERS’ DAY...
No longer What We Think.
Today’s Child Visits Father on Father’s Day

First, Happy Fathers’ Day to Fathers, Grandfathers and Stepfathers!

50% of fathers today are fathers of divorce. That leaves half of our children living with the loss of their biological father in the house.
We teach divorced dads, remarried dads, stepdads, and their partners, how to take on their new role…"How to be male and female heads of the household,” says divorce and remarriage expert, Jeannette Lofas, Ph.D, LCSW, President of the Stepfamily Foundation, Inc.
The vital role and teachings of the "father" must be held in high regard. Why? Because fathers teach, and do, much of what women cannot do: the deep voice of the father's command, the teaching of how to be a good sport, persistence, order, rules of the game, and that special father's kind of love.
We must honor the role of father. What is that commandment? "Honor thy mother and thy father." Too often in divorce there is badmouthing. When we dishonor a child’s parent that child feels as though one-half of him/her is not worthy of respect.
Mothers -- divorced, step, bio -- DO NOT forget to remind the kids to acknowledge Dad.
Fathers, divorced fathers, stepfathers have a happy day…
Undaunted, go forward and get the respect you deserve.

Living In Step

12/4/2021

Available on Amazon:
Living In Step is available in Kindle and Paperback format on Amazon.
Check out our reviews from our readers

Stepfamily Day - September 16, 2021

6/1/2021

Stepfamily Day Mission

September 16th is enhanced by our strong commitment to support the stepfamilies of our nation in their mission to raise their children, create strong family structures to support the individual members of the family, instill in them a sense of responsibility to all extended family members. To develop programs, research, and support the American Stepfamilies and Stepfamilies around the world.

May 29th, 2021

5/29/2021

Check out this moving video from famous graham cracker company, Honey Maid for Stepfamily Day. Very beautifully done.

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Jeannette Lofas, Ph.D, LCSW

President and Founder of Stepfamily Foundation, Inc., Dr. Lofas has been managing stepfamilies for thirty years. In 1995 Lofas received a presidential award for her work. Research reports that she has an 84% success rate. A stepchild and stepmother herself, she is considered to be the leading authority on stepfamilies. Dr. Lofas has written five books: Living In Step, McGraw-Hill, Stepparenting, Citadel, How to Be a Stepparent, Nightingale Connant; He's OK, She's OK: Honoring the Differences Between Men & Women, and Tzedakah, Family Rules, Kensington Books.