SAA Families - Winter 2000By Jean McBride, M.S., LMFT

The holiday season is upon us, with the year 2001 right around the corner. This issue of SAA Families is devoted to helping stepfamilies successfully navigate the sometimes-rough waters called “the holidays.” Our cover article is by Perdita Norwood, who offers up a stepmother’s countdown for, you guessed it, the holidays. In their column Stepping up, Jim Hibbard and Mary Siebe discuss the evolution holidays in their stepfamily. President Margorie Engel gives us a peek at the start of her stepfamily along with some excellent suggestions for surviving and even better, thriving through the holidays. In Stepfamilies and the Law, Laura Morgan discusses changing life insurance policies to reflect marital changes. If you haven’t already taken care of this, it could be first on your list of New Year’s resolutions. And if you’re looking for a last-minute gift for someone in a stepfamily, how about one of the two books reviewed by Pal Estess, Stepfamilies: Making Work and Stepmother & Stepdaughter: Relationships of Chance, Friendships for a Lifetime.

In Stepfamilies for Professionals, Barbara Perlmutter includes her 4-part series on building a successful stepfamily practice by sharing her final reflections. Clinical chair, Scott Browning, Ph.D. offers important questions for clients to consider when choosing a therapist. Kay Pasley, Ed.D. Chair of the research committee reviews a study concerning stepmothers’ expectations of their role in the family.

Please make note of the National Stepfamily Conference to be held in New Orleans, February 22 - 24. That’s the week of Mardi Gras. It’s going to be a wonderful conference one you won’t want to miss. In fact, tell your friends too!

We at SAA Families of the 21st Century send you our very best wishes for a bright and shining New Year. Enjoy your families.