Step-Money: Landmine Mistakes to Avoid
According to Patricia Estess, the first landmine is relying too heavily on a former spouse for child support. Being dependent makes you vulnerable. The second is skimping on the new family and spending on the old. Throwing money at your kids won't erase guilt or make up for lost time. Honor all your commitments equally. And third, don't have two different financial standards. Share your resources and treat everyone the same. When it comes to monetary landmines in stepfamilies, step around them.
Show Notes
About the Host
About the Guest
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According to Patricia Estess, the first landmine is relying too heavily on a former spouse for child support. Being dependent makes you vulnerable. The second is skimping on the new family and spending on the old. Throwing money at your kids won't erase guilt or make up for lost time. Honor all your commitments equally. And third, don't have two different financial standards. Share your resources and treat everyone the same. When it comes to monetary landmines in stepfamilies, step around them.
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Ron Deal
Ron L. Deal is one of the most widely read and viewed experts on blended families in the country. He is Director of FamilyLife Blended® for FamilyLife®, founder of Smart Stepfamilies™, and the author and Consulting Editor of the Smart Stepfamily Series of books including the bestselling Building Love Together in Blended Families: The 5 Love Languages® and Becoming Stepfamily Smart (with Dr. Gary Chapman), The Smart Stepfamily: 7 Steps to a Healthy Family, and Preparing to Blend. Ron is a licensed marriage and family therapist, popular conference speaker, and host of the FamilyLife Blended podcast. He and his wife, Nan, have three sons and live in Little Rock, Arkansas. Learn more at FamilyLife.com/blended.
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Stepfamilies have a few financial landmines: don’t step on them.
Ron: Stepfamilies have a few financial landmines: don’t step on them.
Announcer: For FamilyLife Blended®, here’s Ron Deal.
Ron: According to Patricia Estess, the first landmine is relying too heavily on a former spouse for child support. Being dependent makes you vulnerable. Organize your finances around your home’s income and everything else is gravy.
The second is skimping on the new family and spending on the old. Throwing money at your kids won’t erase your guilt or make up for lost time. Honor all your commitments equally.
And the third, having two different financial standards within the same home. You can’t treat the kids differently. Share your resources and treat everyone the same. When it comes to monetary landmines in stepfamilies, I suggest you step around them. For FamilyLife Blended, I’m Ron Deal.
Announcer: To find out more visit familylifeblended.com.
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