After marrying a single mom, Stacey James Wheeler realized the parenting challenges were different than traditional marriages. The statistics showed the failure rate for stepdad marriages was quite a bit higher than traditional marriage. No one seemed to know exactly how much high. Wheeler went to work learning all he could about stepdad marriages and about the break up factors.
What started as a keen interest became a multi-year study. Along the way he discovered several key stress factors exist in stepdad relationships. His research revealed the additional pressure on stepdads led them to seek divorce at nearly twice the normal rate. His research also showed the divorce rate in these families was as high as 70 percent. He found that by understanding the pressures, couples could improve their relationship and avoid divorce.
Wheeler shared his findings online and published a guide to help stepdads avoid the common struggles that cause most of these marriages to fail. Through his in-depth research Wheeler finally understood why about 70% of these relationships end in divorce. He also understood that most new stepdads didn’t understand the challenges. Because of this the majority of them were destined to fail.
There wasn’t a location online men could go to learn how to overcome the challenges plaguing their relationships. Relationships were failing but they didn’t have to. So Wheeler enlisted the help of a friend whose company designed and managed websites. Together they created Stepdadding.com, a site dedicated solely to providing information and inspiration to stepdads. Today Stepdadding is an award-winning site read in over 150 countries. It provides cost-free advice and direction to stepdads and their families, with the purpose of reducing the divorce rate and helping families succeed. Stepdadding is now the most popular website dedicated exclusively to stepdads’ needs.
Today Wheeler is a leading expert in the study of stepdad challenges. He’s a popular guest on radio and was featured in the 2014 documentary Secrets Behind My Success. He is an active voice for family and child organizations.
Wheeler has authored numerous research papers & articles. His books include:
The Stepdad’s Guide: Resolving Family Conflict (author)
Dad’s Behaving DADLY (contributing writer)
Stepdad 101 –What to Know Before You Marry a Single Mom (releasing in 2015)
Wheeler is a proud Stepdad of three.