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Some of our subscribers flew off the handle when we announced we would interview Bruce and Kris Jenner as part of our "Ask The Experts" series. I received numerous comments of subscribers who felt I had lost my mind thinking anything of value could be learned from interviewing the parents from the "reality" TV show, "Keeping Up With The Kardashians."
One writer even went so far as to say that Kris Jenner has taught her children by example to "dress like whores" and that nothing good could come from interviewing her and her husband.
Just for kicks, let's apply Byron Katie's concept of a "turn around" to the belief that "Nothing of value can be learned from the Jenners". One such turn-around could be, "Some things of value can be learned about blended families by observing the Jenners on their reality show."
Now, let's look at some possible evidence that this turn-around is true:
The Jenner's have been happily married for 17 years and have 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. Their reality show has brought the issues and concerns of stepparents into the mainstream media.
On the show, Bruce obviously enjoys talking to the kids and getting into their world. He is remarkable in his consistency and how he demonstrates the "consultant" form of parenting best described by Cline and Fay’s Love and Logic strategies book entitled, "Helicopters, Drill Sergeants & Consultants ". 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" in terms of explaining and lecturing.
A recent incident that exemplified this was when 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 getting as the little sisters copied her voice and words. Lesson learned, and not by a lot of input – just a well timed, heart-felt question.
Another incident illustrating Bruce’s stepparenting savvy involved Kris' son, Robert. 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 he'd 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 – with a simple reminder -- no nagging, threatening or pleading. After sleeping on it, Robert made the wise decision to stay and complete school.
For more information about the Ask the Experts series visit Blended Family Experts.com or
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Wishing you and your blended family all the best
!
Emily Bouchard, founder,
www.Blended-Families.com
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