Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA (1888PressRelease)
May 12, 2008 - Last week, some of the 6,000 subscribers to the StepHeroes Newsletter were outraged when the newsletter's founder, blended families guru Emily Bouchard, announced her plans to interview the parents in the reality TV show "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" on May 15th as part of her "Ask The Experts" teleconference series.
Some subscribers felt that "Keeping up with the Kardashians" does not appear to provide helpful strategies for how to successfully blend two stepfamilies. One respondent used terms a little less diplomatic in describing the how Kris Kardashian allows her girls to "dress like whores". Others judged the girls' starlet antics to be "embarrassing" and "frightening".
The first subscriber to respond to the announcement, LW out of Pennsylvania, wrote, "What a disgrace to those of us who are actually working hard, day in and day out, without the cameras rolling, without getting paid, without getting famous simply because our children made a sex tape. And what a disgrace that you would hold them out to be paradigms of blended-family success."
Of Bouchard's decision to interview the Jenners, another step-mother wrote, "...if you think Bruce & Kris have something to offer to us you are down right crazy.... Bruce & Kris do not deserve to be considered successful. What a kick in the teeth to the rest of us."
Responding to her subscribers, Bouchard pointed out, "Surely, after 17 years of beating the odds, they've learned something of value for the rest of us! As professionals who work with beleaguered blended families everyday, we are committed to providing access to as many resources as we can. With the vast majority of second marriages ending in divorce before 7 years, we are dedicated to doing whatever we can to change that statistic and make it possible for blended families to thrive and not just struggle to survive."
Along with being happily married for 17 years, Bruce and Kris have also successfully navigated a household consisting of 10 children ranging in age from 11 to 35, with busy careers and the added stress of celebrity status.
On their reality show Bruce obviously enjoys talking to the kids and getting into their world. When Bruce is in a situation of having a chance to make a difference in the lives of one of his stepchildren, he chooses a strategy of "less is more". On one episode the younger sisters were playing a game, part of which was imitating some less than polite behavior of their older sister, Kim. Kim was furious when she overheard the little girls mimicking her because she perceived it as rude and disrespectful. She complained to Bruce who listened and then asked Kim how she felt about the reality check she was hearing as the little sisters copied her voice and words.
Another incident illustrating Bruce’s stepparenting savvy involved Kris' son. Robert announced he was dropping out of college to pursue a less than firm modeling job in Japan. Kris was very upset and tried to reason with him. Bruce quietly reminded him of the promise Robert had made to his deceased father that he would complete college. Bruce chose to connect in with what he knew was most important to Robert, and invited him to be in integrity in his life. After sleeping on it, Robert made the wise decision to stay and complete school.
For additional information on Bruce and Kris or the Ask the Expert series, contact Jesse Fisher or visit www.BlendedFamilyExperts.com . The public is welcome to submit questions and learn more about stepparenting for free at this site.
About Blended-Families.com, LLC:
Founded in 2003, this company provides resource-based websites offering support, articles, ebooks, expert interviews and coaching services to stepparents looking for answers to their toughest questions.
Contact:
Jesse Fisher, director of public relations
Blended-Families.com, LLC
801-423-6426
http://www.Blended-Families.com
