Jeff Probst Reveals His Best Advice for Stepparents on Kids In The House

LOS ANGELES, April 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Becoming a parent to someone else's kids is hard, and host of Survivor, Jeff Probst, has been there. Whether you are becoming a step mom or a step dad, either role can be difficult to navigate, and each family is different. Kids In The House interviewed Jeff to hear his best advice for step parenting.

While he has no biological kids of his own, Jeff said he felt fortunate when he married into a family that had two wonderful children. He explained that while it wasn't an easy or a simple transition, he loves his role as a stepfather.

He shared that building a strong relationship with the kids takes time and doesn't happen over night. Jeff encourages parents to be patient and understanding during this process. It can become frustrating, but it's worth it to wait for the right moments to connect with the kids.

"My advice is to not put yourself on the kids and give them expectations," says Jeff. "Quite the opposite, let them know there's no expectation and that you're just someone else here to love them."

He also encourages stepparents not to pressure kids to call you "mom" or "dad" right away. Jeff explains that at one point, the kids called him "Jeff Dad 2," and now it has transitioned into them calling him "dad."

Jeff shared that he was able to build trust with his stepchildren by listening to them and giving them advice when it was appropriate.

"I waited, and maybe it just comes down to waiting for the right situation," explains Jeff.

The Survivor host said it's important to remember that you are most likely not just co-parenting with your spouse, but you may also be co-parenting with your spouse's ex and their significant other. You need to work together to help best support the children in the family.

"We would never say anything but compliments on how the other house is run," he says.

Jeff also shared great advice for single moms dating with kids, especially if they feel like having kids is like having "baggage."

"It's not a baggage," Jeff simply states. "If somebody thinks it's baggage they're not the right guy. The right guy will say, 'Wow, you also have kids!' That's the right guy."

For more advice, check out all of Jeff Probst's advice on KidsInTheHouse.com.

About Kids in the House

Kids in the House is the world's largest parenting video library with over 8,000 videos from 450 experts, including physicians, psychologists, researchers, educators, best-selling authors, and other celebrated voices in our culture. This website contains videos that feature parenting tips for all parenting styles from parents who have dealt with particular issues and can share their hard-earned wisdom.

Kids in the House is a place where parents have the opportunity to hear and share different perspectives and get solutions for parenting challenges that range from pregnancy to getting into college. The videos aim to help parents and caregivers become better at parenting by educating, inspiring, and entertaining.  The videos are split into the following categories: All Parents, Pregnancy, Adoption, Baby, Toddler, Preschool, Elementary, Teen, and Special Needs.

Leana Greene, founder and CEO of Kids in the House, is a parenting trends expert and one of the top female entrepreneurs in the United States. She aims for this website to be the most comprehensive resource of parenting advice available—one that respects the fact that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

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SOURCE Kids in the House

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