85. How to Uniquely Build More Love and Connection in Your Blended Family [with Ron Deal]

Everyone wants a "good blend"…

…the closeness, happiness, trust, and emotional safety that helps us experience love in our blended family.

But, many of us quickly find that love is complicated in blended family life. Unmet expectations, confusion and hurt feelings seem to invade our home and it's hard to know how to make sense of it all.

We've felt those and many more disappointments over the years, but thankfully there was more to the story — and we weren't alone in our journey.

We found some guidance and resources early on from a leading expert in blended family life — Ron Deal.

Recently, we had a chance to talk with Ron about the recent book that he co-authored with Gary Chapman called Building Love Together in Blended Families. In it, he and Gary unpack some of the unique ways that blended families can use Gary's concept of the 5 Love Languages.

In this episode, you'll get to listen in on our discussion and gain some valuable insight directly from Ron.  You certainly don't want to miss this episode!

You'll Discover:

• Why love is so complicated in a blended family
• What Love Language "Dialects" are and how you can use them
• How to avoid unintentionally "stepping on" the Love Language of others
• Why lowering expectations and letting go can help build love in your blended family 

Resources from this Episode:

• Building Love Together in Blended Families by Gary Chapman & Ron L. Deal
• To check out additional books, go here:  Ron Deal
• https://smartstepfamilies.com/
• https://www.familylife.com/familylifeblended/blended-families/
• Preparing to Blend:  The Couple's Guide to Becoming a Smart Stepfamily by Ron L. Deal (Releasing in September 2021 and available for pre-order)
• Episode 72:  The Best Way to Create Healthy, Bonded Relationships
• Episode 76:  How to Restore Your Relationship with a Child After You've Messed Up

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