Eight Years In: What Nobody Tells You About Blending Families - S1 E5

Eight years ago, Holly said yes to Mike and to a life that was going to be more complicated, more beautiful, and more challenging than either of them expected. In this special anniversary episode, Holly and Mike sit down together for the first time on Grownish Women to talk honestly about what it really takes to blend a family.Did you know that 60 to 70 percent of blended families end in divorce? Holly and Mike did and they walked down the aisle anyway. In this episode they pull back the curtain on the things nobody warned them about and the things that have held them together through eight years of building something real.In this episode they talk about:Why blended family divorce rates are so high and what nobody tells you going inThe unnamed expectations that almost broke themNavigating two completely different parenting styles under one roofParenting a child with special needs inside a blended familyWhy they hit a wall and how couples counseling and a church marriage program helped them through itMoney, communication breakdowns, and the debt dragon they slayed togetherHow faith has been the foundation and what that looks like practically for couples who don't share the same beliefsWhat grace actually looks like inside a marriage, day after dayWhere they are now, eight years in, and what the next chapter looks likeThe three things they'd tell any couple about to blend their families: Mike: Communicate openly. Define your expectations. Never stop working. Holly: Don't go to bed angry. Set your boundaries early. Give each other grace.