Do you have what it takes to survive the holidays with your step-family and in-laws?
The holiday season is a fun filled time for families to celebrate being together and sharing traditions with one another. The Christmas lights, carolers and smell of ham cooking in the kitchen is enough to send anyone into a blissful holiday euphoria. Watching children open their presents while cookies bake in the oven is a scene set for happiness and joy. With family packed around the table, we can see all of our wonderful blessings right in front of us. However, sometimes those wonderful blessings may not be getting along with each other as well as you had hoped.
Introducing family members to each other for the first time is always stressful. Throw in the holiday season and you have a recipe for disaster. Managing to keep everyone happy and stress-free could results in a full on meltdown for the happy host. Are you equipped to navigate sharing the holidays with parents, in-laws, and step-families, turning the chaotic holiday gathering into the loving family picture you had hoped for?
Dr. Katrina Kuzyszyn-Jones is owner of KKJ Forensic and Psychological Services in Durham, North Carolina. Katrina has worked with many families during the separation and divorce process and understands the many challenges facing committed couples. She has worked with individuals and couples dealing with issues of infidelity, retirement, and even becoming new parents. Dr. Jones has experience in private practice, community mental health and the criminal justice system.
To find out more about Dr. Katrina Kuzyszyn-Jones and her practice, KKJ Forensic and Psychological Services, you can visit their website or call (919) 493-1975 for an appointment.
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Does long-standing sibling rivalry really have an impact on a marriage?
So where does sibling rivalry start in the first place? According to academic professionals at the University of Michigan Health System, the most fundamental effect and characteristic of sibling rivalry is jealousy. Constant arguments between siblings create a strong feeling of tension in the household that’s felt by everyone.
It’s also been suggested that rivalry between siblings has negative effects on the marriage of the parents, as the problems experienced between the siblings begin to make the parents more likely to disagree about who is right and who is wrong in different situations. So what is the best way to ease the tension and quell the rivalries?
Today’s guest is Dr. Kristen Wynns, a child psychologist and parenting, testing and custody specialist and the owner of Wynns Family Psychology. With extensive experience in child and parenting issues, Kristen has seen her fair share of family tension derived from sibling rivalry. According to her, spouses can reduce the negative effects of the rivalry by communicating with each other and presenting a unified front to the children.
The Wynns Family Psychology ‘Sibling Strife’ workshop will be held September 23, 2013 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm.
To find out more about Kristen and her practice, visit their website or call (919) 467-7777 to schedule an appointment.
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Despite the fact that they’re family… What do you do when you just can’t stand to be around your in-laws?
Although you love your spouse, you might not always love his or her parents or siblings. So how do you make peace with them when there has always been tension? How do you reach a compromise that everyone in the family is okay with? Naturally, the goal is to develop a comfortable role for yourself with realistic expectations for what your in-laws can offer to you and what you can offer to them. It’s not always that simple though. And sometimes it can be even more difficult because it’s family.
When there’s a lack of support from the in-laws, it can put a lot of stress on a marriage and both partners individually. Sometimes couples don’t really know how to set healthy boundaries and limits, and they ultimately get caught up in never-ending family drama and turmoil.
Today’s guest is Dr. Susan Orenstein, the director of Orenstein Solutions in Cary, NC. Susan has worked with many couples who have faced these very issues, and she’s here to discuss a way to fix the problems. According to her, it is possible for couples to get to a place where they feel comfort and happiness with their in-laws… even after many years of struggle.
To find out more about Susan and her practice, visit their website or call (919) 428-2766 to schedule an appointment.
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