Category Archives: Family

If you’re reading this, it’s likely that you want to know more about curses. Perhaps you suspect that a curse or hex may have been placed upon you. If so, keep reading. Or perhaps you just want to stay protected from curses. This is the article for you then, too. Whatever your interest, these are the top ten signs that you are almost certainly cursed:

10. Nightmares, night terrors, sleep paralysis, or strange nighttime sensations. One of the most evident symptoms of being cursed or hexed is trouble sleeping. This can range from sleep paralysis and nightmares to simply having an unusually restless sleep. While everyone has the occasional nightmare, consistent experiences of nightmares is a strong indication a curse has been placed on an individual.

9. Loss of energy. Curses and hexes can turn individuals described as vibrant and positive to dull and boring. Fatigue and sudden loss of energy is a strong symptom of most curses. This is especially true for curses and hexes placed to drain individuals of their energy. Psychic vampires are notable for working in this fashion.

8. Misfortune of loved ones. If loved ones or people close to you suddenly start experiencing an unusual amount of misfortune, this is a clear symptom a curse has been placed. While we expect curses to affect the person they are placed upon, it doesn’t always work like that. This is because some curses are directed at damaging a person’s entire life, which includes harming those around the victim. These types of curses are becoming increasingly common, and unfortunately can be devastating.

7. Financial or property loss. Sudden and unexpected losses of property or financial loss are good indicators of a curse. Many curses are intended to affect a specific aspect of a person’s life, such as finances, health, or relationships. Anything from being laid off at work to becoming the victim of (supposedly) random vandalism can be the outcomes of a financial curse. If you’ve experienced sudden financial losses, it’s worth asking if you’ve been cursed.

6. Relationship trouble. Curses directed at harming relationships may be the most abundant curses in existence. Curses of this nature can turn happy and healthy marriages into trainwreck failure marriages, so beware. It’s very common for things to be going perfectly and then suddenly, without warning, to take a turn for the worst.

5. Deterioration of health. While sickness has many natural causes and should always be appraised by qualified medical professionals, it is important to note that magical curses and hexes do, in fact, cause sickness. Healthy individuals can be made sick instantly with some curses, while other curses manifest themselves as gradual declines in health.

4. Legal trouble. Lawsuits and criminal charges may often stem from curses. Curses can manifest themselves in such a fashion that innocent people are accused of crimes or torts, or may actually incline people to engage in criminal behavior that may result in their misfortunes. Whatever the case, if an individual suddenly experiences legal trouble it can be a symptom of being cursed.

3. Direct perceptions of being cursed. Some curses are more obvious, causing individuals to be directly tormented by hallucinations or delusions. Additionally, as some employ spiritual beings the victim may find themselves directly harassed by such entities. As the saying goes, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck. If a person has strong experiences of being cursed, there is a good chance they are.

2. Sudden and serious illness. As opposed to a gradual reduction in health, sudden and serious illnesses are strong symptoms of harmful magics at work. These usually manifest themselves as specific, serious illnesses that afflict the victim acutely. As the nature of these curses are especially dangerous, they should be dealt with as soon as possible.

1. Death. Yes, people can actually die from curses. Death by harmful magic can manifest itself in a myriad of ways, from suicide to sickness to car accident. Unfortunately, after this symptom is present it is already too late to help the victim. The key is to block and remove curses before this occurs, not wait until after. Additionally, powerful curses may even harm those around the intended victim, so it is important to deal with them in any situation.

All of the symptoms listed above are indications a curse has been placed on someone. Individually they are not proof per se, but collectively they should be taken as strong evidence. What this means is that if someone experiences one or more of the symptoms above, they should seriously consider that a curse may be the cause of it. The more symptoms there are, the stronger the likelihood a curse has been placed.

However, a curse is no reason to lose hope. At the fist sign of evidence a curse has been placed immediate action should be taken to remove the curse. Additionally, there are ways to prevent a curse. Caution should be taken, however, when attempting to fight a curse, as inexperienced casters may actually compound it and make it worse. You should seek out a professional witch to remove or protect you from curses.

Even adult children returning home to a blended family benefit from some rules and boundaries. Adult stepchildren graduating from college today face a tough job market in which to succeed. College kids are returning home, for a place to stay until they can launch their careers. Even tougher, are the kids who return to a blended family, one with a new step parent and step siblings.

Boundaries and rules established and agreed upon, before adult stepchildren return to the nest, are essential for the successful blended family. Adult stepchildren can function well living at home with stepparents when presented with clear expectations.

Focus on the positive in your blended family
Focus on the positive when adult children ask to return home. Adult children, in most cases, don’t want to ask biological parents if they can move in with a stepfamily, and you might consider it a compliment to your successful remarriage when they do. Clearly, your adult child feels comfortable living with the stepparent, and that is flattering. Stepmom or stepdad needs to acknowledge the compliment, and make sure to let the adult stepchild know you are eager to spend more time with him.

As well, after the biological parent and stepparent agree upon a set of rules and boundaries, biological parents should lead a discussion about them with the adult stepchild in advance of the move-in date. Adult stepchildren are often willing to comply with rules when they know biological parents and stepparents are happy to have them around.

Rules and boundaries should be reasonable and consistent
Adult stepchildren are, technically, adults, and should be treated as such. However, the adult stepchild who has returned home and is dependent upon the biological parent and stepmom or stepdad, should obey and respect parental authority. Rules and boundaries agreed upon in advance could include guidelines for
o dining and laundry
o a discussion of career plans
o an agreement to actively search and find a job by within a set period
o housekeeping chores
o an agreement to pay rent after six months
o an agreement to a raise in rent after 12 months
o guidelines for guests
o an expectation of quiet after a designated time or else a curfew will be established
o and an expectation that adults will be treated with respect.

Other discussion topics could include the use of an auto as well as guidelines for gas, insurance, and upkeep; smoking, drinking and girlfriend or boyfriend visits; as well as private time for parent and stepparent. Adult stepchildren who bend or even break established rules should be held accountable with another scheduled family meeting.

Road to independence should be paved with love and encouragement for your adult child
Adult stepchildren moving home is not unusual in light of the job market, and he or she should not be made to feel as if they have failed at adulthood. This won’t help a stepchild and it certainly won’t bode well for the blended family. Once rules and boundaries have been agreed upon in a stepfamily, welcome and encourage your adult stepchild into the remarriage. Make sure he spends individual time with his biological parent and offer positive support in his job search.

Stepchildren, especially adult stepchildren, need their own space, and should be afforded privacy and respect of their belongings by other stepkids. Adult stepchildren who return to the home may need extra help on the road to independence; stepmoms and stepdads who are part of that journey pave the way to a smooth stepfamily existence.

Adult stepchildren who return home are an unfortunate result of the economic downturn, but it doesn’t have to be a miserable experience. Biological and stepparents have to discuss and agree upon rules, before the adult stepchild moves in. An adult stepchild is usually amenable to parental guidelines when the discussion is led by the biological parent and assisted by the stepparent.

Adult children who return home to a blended family can find success and independence within a remarriage when expectations are clear and rules are well planned.

As a blended family, you have likely already identified activities that everyone loves doing. Going to the beach or the pool, outdoor activities like softball or lawn darts, going for drives, to the movies, theme parks, camping, visiting relatives; any or all of these might be something your family is looking forward to doing this summer. Whenever you find something that everyone likes to do together, try to fit it into your schedule.

Family game days
A day at home does not have to be boring or spent in front of the television or the computer! If your blended family ground rules prohibit overuse of electronic equipment, offer alternative activities. You might like to set up a scavenger hunt for the step siblings in your stepfamily.

These hunts might be limited to the house and yard, or you may feel comfortable sending off teams or pairs of step siblings to find and carry home the items on their scavenger lists. Items on the list might include things like a tennis ball, a pink shoe, an empty tin can, a maple leaf, etc., things that can fit into a plastic garbage bag. If you like, make the game more challenging and include things like a seed for an oak tree, or a tube of dentifrice. Appropriate rewards for finding the most items might be presented, such as a pass on nightly chores.

Board game or computer game marathons are always a good way to spend a day or two locked in competitive fun. You may want to check online for ideas of free family computer games that are appropriate for your step family. It really does not matter whether you and your step family enjoy monopoly, checkers or a fast-action computer game together. What matters is that you enjoy doing something together. Having fun together builds bonds and memories.

Share laughter
A movie or television show that makes everyone laugh is a free ticket to blended family fun. Sharing a laugh is among the best bonding activities a blended family can have, so take advantage of every opportunity to share a laugh with your step family members. Building a blended family based on shared laughter and enjoyment of each other makes for bonds that endure.

Step family group projects
Summertime is a great time for a group project within your blended family. Building or erecting a swing set or tree house, taken from planning sessions at the kitchen table to the home building supplies store to the backyard, are the kinds of projects that can keep step parents and their kids involved, communicating, and accomplishing something together.

Choose projects that encourage teaching moments, such as measuring, cutting, hammering, and problem solving needed to construct a swing set. When step kids learn something useful from a step parent, and have fun at the same time, bonds are created while life lessons are learned.

The most important project for step family summers is to enjoy being together. Whatever you do as a blended family, make it satisfying for everyone, make it family-focused, and make it fun. Although step kids may not spend their entire summer vacation with you, make time for a project; something that takes planning, execution, and has a definite accomplishment factor so you can celebrate it together. A blended family that plays together stays together.