Stepparenting the Grieving Child: Cultivating Past and Present Connections With Children Who Have Lost a Parent

“Fromme has written an engaging, encouraging, hopeful, and helpful book. Reading it uplifted me and brought me solace that, as a stepmom of forty-two years, I was surprised I still needed.”
—Sue Patton Thoele, Author of The Courage to Be a Stepmom

On a daily basis, I bought into a common myth … that by giving our grieving stepfamily a little time we would start to gel… I waited years for this miraculous transformation and then realized it was me who had to change.

In Stepparenting the Grieving Child, Diane Ingram Fromme shares the assumptions and presumptions that commonly occur in stepfamilies. Diane faced the challenges any new stepparent to grieving children experiences, including helplessness to know how to build relationships, awkwardness around memorializing the lost parent, and insecurity—wanting to be more comfortable in her own home and skin. Diane explains why merely voicing her concerns as a stepmom—though vital—was not enough to move forward with her stepfamily. Instead, she advocates a process to learn and grow with one's grieving family. 

Diane’s straightforward approach will help you:

• Gain a more relaxed mindset toward stepparenting through grief
• Validate when to let the natural parent take the lead
• Consider how to be part of the team who helps one’s stepchildren grieve and grow

With personal examples, insights from other stepfamilies, and knowledge gained through experience and research, Stepparenting the Grieving Child provides information, hope, and inspiration to anyone who supports grieving children.

“Honest, revealing, and compassionately written, this book offers practical insights to support both grieving children and the stepparent who is striving to find their place in the child’s life.”
—Ron L. Deal, Bestselling Author of The Smart Stepfamily and The Smart Stepmom

A writer since childhood, Diane Ingram Fromme's experience spans her Stanford University communication degree, training and facilitation work, articles and essays. A native New Yorker, Diane now writes from her cozy home in Colorado, where she lives with her husband, teen daughter, and a spunky canine. Diane is fortunate to see and keep in touch with her adult stepchildren.