National Stepfamily Day
National Stepfamily Day - Celebration for Blended Families
In the U.S., National Stepfamily Day is celebrated annually, on September 16th. The Coordinator of The Stepfamily Association of America, Christy Borgeld, founded the holiday in 1997. Along with Co-Founder Debra Mogg, Borgeld campaigned for national endorsement of the holiday. All fifty states acknowledge National Stepfamily Day.
Why is this holiday important?
It affects a lot of families. Statistics show that one in three Americans live in a stepfamily. If you watched the idyllic Brady Bunch on T.V., stepfamilies seemed like effortless. Except for normal sibling rivalry, they all got along and loved their new family. If you're trying to blend your family, then it may not progress as easily as the Brady kids. Not to worry - there are many experts to help stepfamilies not only blend together, but also to grow as a family.
I grew up with a stepfather, so I can relate to the kids' side of stepfamilies. Now I'm remarried, and we're raising my teenage son. From the beginning, we've worked hard at helping our son adjust, and we're dedicated to making our family united and happy.
What's helped the most? Communication. Emotions aren't logical, so we often talk about how we're feeling. My husband and son have bonded their relationship separately from me. I think that helped them; they have their own talks, their own inside jokes, and their own ways to communicate.
We also spend much of our free time together as a family. We have frequent "family fun nights" where we get take-out and rent a movie.
We look for activities to do as a family, and that's one reason I love National Stepfamily Day. It's a holiday that is specially designated for our blended family.
What's a great activity to do for National Stepfamily Day?
The founder also promoted National Stepfamily Day Picnic. Get outdoors and enjoy those gorgeous skies with a family picnic. This lens will give you some information about the holiday, books on blended families, and a video on National Stepfamily Day. I hope you enjoy the day with your family.
Photo of Largo Central Park, by Jennifer Akers
Ideas For National Stepfamily Day
Plan A Special Time With Your Kids
Plan Your National Stepfamily Day Picnic - Pack up the family and have fun!
What should you bring on your picnic? Well, you'll need to pack some food, drinks, hand-sanitizer, bugspray, and suntan lotion.
You can use handy cooler bags that will keep all the plates, cutlery, drinks, and food. Find a nice space for your family, and then lay out a blanket or portable picnic table (or an available park picnic table). Before you start munching on sandwiches, play a family game. There are board books for little ones. Play football.
Make sure everyone's participating. After all, it's a family celebration.
Have You Ever Celebrated National Stepfamily Day?
While we value our family time, we hadn't heard about National Stepfamily Day before starting to research online resources for blended families. Have you heard of this U.S. holiday?
Do You Celebrate National Stepfamily Day?
"To succeed, you need to take that gut feeling in what you believe in and act on it with all your heart."
~~ Christy Borgeld
Children's Book On Stepfamilies
We've told our son that he has four parents, and he's found comfort in that. Two parents are great, so how about four people who protect and love you? A wonderful way to blend families where the children aren't "losing" parents.
