Allan&Eve: Marriage Is Not a Game
We are a Christian couple with a heart to see marriages restored and built to last. Our mission is simple: to help couples make it down the aisle and reduce divorce through honest, faith-based conversations. From singleness and dating to marriage, divorce, and remarriage, we’re tackling it all with biblical wisdom and real-life stories.
Allan&Eve: Marriage Is Not a Game
Loyalty Conflicts: Why Your Blended Family is Failing
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Hey Believers, in this episode of the Allen and Eve Podcast, we tackle the "Loyalty Conflict" that keeps blended families in constant friction. Many biological parents avoid correcting their children out of guilt, which creates a toxic environment for the spouse and other children in the home. If you are constantly forced to "pick a side," your marriage is already at risk.
What we’re breaking down:
- The Relationship Hierarchy: Why putting your marriage first (after God) is the only way a blended family survives.
- The Discipline Divide: Why "going soft" on your bio-child creates resentment in the household.
- Emotional Numbness: What happens when a stepparent withdraws because they’ve been disrespected or lied to for years.
- The Choice: Why you should stay single if you aren't ready to prioritize your marriage covenant over your child's manipulation.
Marriage is not a game. Stop walking on eggshells in your own house
It's sad that a child feels that way. That's what, you know, could be their perspective is I can't build a relationship with my stepmom or stepdad because I am disrespecting or hurting my other parent. Or children that will play a role at each person's house. So they're making it seem like to their biological parent, I don't like her or him, I don't want to be over there, and then come here and basically say, Yeah, everything is good. And then if the two parents are not in conversation, like if they don't speak, they are not in communication, then that is just a whole mess. And there are children out here that's doing that. Alan Eve here to help you believe that marriage is not a game.
AllenTalk to him, girl.
EveWhat?
AllenI tell you to do something. You're gonna just overly.
EveNo well. I do have you. I can't be everything you want me to be. I'm gonna do it the way I'm gonna do it. And you're gonna be pleased with it, okay?
AllenEmma?
EveI don't know.
AllenOkay, let's get this crack a lacking on the smackin' backing. What up though, everybody? I know sometimes when I yell that, it's kind of loud, so it's tone it down, it's tone it a little down. Right. But I'm so excited to be here with my wife. Yay! I'm wearing headphones today so I can hear it properly. But um, that was kind of loud. Yeah, that was pretty loud. It don't matter. Yeah, it does matter. Okay, let's get let's let's get into this blended families. Here we go again with the yeah, blended families because y'all to discuss yeah, very much so because a lot of y'all just want to hop out of relationship. Just I'm done, I can't deal with this. You had a child together, now you want to split up, go your separate ways, and end up being in another relationship, and you want somebody to deal with your child, right? Everybody, it seemed like a lot of people are just running out and hopping in a new relationship. So let's talk about some things that you might go through. It's a possibility, just something to think about. Right. This this uh podcast is gonna be talking about the title of this one is a loyalty conflict in blended families. Um before I get started, but if there's anything you want to add, anything you want to do.
EveI do want to add, you know, because I I feel like we have to say this on a lot of the videos where we're not against a blended family. We are we are a blended family ourselves. We are just warning people or giving information or our opinions on things that I wish somebody would have told me, that I could have been more prepared for in a blended family, that I could have done better to assist in the um smoothness of the transition for my stepdaughter or like anything, you know.
AllenRight, yeah. Somebody help to connect the dots. We need a the dots type of person. So we're trying to help y'all and do the connecting for y'all, make y'all think. We just want to talk about this stuff so y'all think about it.
EveRight, just think about it, consider all of these things because don't ever think that, oh, that can't happen to me. That won't happen to me. That's just foolishness, right?
AllenBut y'all know my stealing, it's gonna always be God, marriage, children, and everybody else.
unknownRight.
AllenSo when it comes down to my decision making, it's gonna be flat out like that. But let's get into this. We're gonna start with uh the bioparent. Um avoid correction to protect the child. So you're that step parent. I mean, well, you I'm sorry, you're the parent of the child, and your partner is trying to discipline them.
EveNo, no, no. Oh you are avoiding correcting them because you feel guilty or you trying to whatever is going on as the bio parent, you're going softer on them because maybe they're the child that's outside of the home that comes into the home. So you feel like, oh, well, they do this at their other parents' house. They how can they get in trouble for it over here? It doesn't make it right that they're doing it over there either. So, like, what we gonna do here? And then the other children in the household see that, like, why is this child getting away with certain things that we cannot do? That will cause an issue.
AllenRight, it will. And let me talk uh from the point of the bio parent. Okay, that I think a lot of parents, you feel this sympathy and you feel this type of emotion towards your child just automatically. Okay, and it just comes out to like it's it's it's just like boom, like I feel saddened to correct my child, and you just want to love and be there for them, knowing that you you have to do that.
EveBut the problem with that is is you can, it's gonna be a difference with the other children in the home. No, right, right. That's not right. You need to keep the same energy. I understand people have sympathy and all of this, but you're that's not helping your child by just letting them do whatever and not, you know, you just avoiding correcting them because you feel bad for them. But you're not feeling bad for the other children in the house. That's not gonna work out.
AllenNo, it's not gonna work out, but I think a lot of people get into that place to where okay.
EveWell, they need to come on up out of that place.
AllenI think it's just everybody, everybody. If that's your child, he need to come on about that place, and you're just you see something and you be like, oh, you know, that's not that that big of a deal. You know, I I maybe they see their self, they always see they self in their own children.
EveWhat's wrong with you as a child? So I'm just somebody should have been correcting you as a child. That's not okay. So that means you should be able to help your child, you should not want them to go through the things that you've been through. If you see that you did wrong as a child and you see them doing and going down the same path, what are you feeling sad about? You need to tackle that right there and let them know how to avoid and not be like this. Strengthen them. Why would you be like, oh, I used to be like that too? Like, no, it's a natural thing.
AllenRight, right. It's just a natural thing from that parent. Let me be more understanding. It's just it's just natural. Okay, happened to me. I'm pretty sure it happened to you, happened to a lot of people. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. But what I'm saying is just don't try to speak.
EveBut what I'm saying is the natural don't feel like that towards my children. I'm the opposite because I was spoiled as a child. Well, so I correct things when I see it that I know is going to help them in life because me babying them and avoiding correcting certain things is not right. So I have a different perspective.
AllenRight. You probably do what you probably say 70% of the time, right? But it was probably that small other percent, 30% of the time where you like you would just like uh like say the other parent was trying to say something to your child, and you was instantly, you know, involving yourself to like, hey, hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, what's going on here? And just to protect them, just to be like, if they're small, you like they they won't talk for themselves. I'm gonna be there to be the you know, the advocator for my child, like whoa, right?
EveYeah, but if it needs to be corrected, you shouldn't be advocating anything, but helping your spouse, you know.
AllenYes, you see, but sometimes we look at a different lens, we have different lens on front. It's so sad, and and like I said, the empathy for that child is like I don't know step here.
EveLike, I ain't got no empathy.
AllenYou need to let's hurry this out. Let's hurry up you need to be doing this. I can understand, but I think a lot of people are gonna be in that spot where not correcting them so much because they feel bad, they feel safe. Well, that's definitely not going to go well.
EveOkay, you need to remove your feelings because this you shouldn't be operating in the marriage and the family based off your feelings. Seriously. That is gonna be a horrible situation to be in. I feel this way. Yo, your feelings is up down all around. Is that how you're gonna leave your life?
AllenOf course, it will be, but I know a lot of people will definitely be in their feelings trying to stand that. So conflict. I'm sorry, conflict.
EveWell, you have to get over that, right? You you truly do, because you're not giving that same energy or that same empathy to the other children in the house. When you start just focusing on, oh, I feel bad for my child, and it's other children in the house, that's not going to work out. Keep the same energy with everybody, keep the same love and empathy, not jump down your stepchild's throat, but then your own child talking about you feel bad for him. Nah, we ain't doing that.
AllenOkay, yeah, let's move on to the next one. Let's just go on to the moment to the child aspect. Okay, children aren't rejecting you, they're protecting a bond.
EveCan I just say something real fast?
AllenThrow it out.
EveIt's sad that a child feels that way, right? That that's what you know could be their perspective is I can't build a relationship with my stepmom or stepdad because I am disrespecting or hurting my other parent. That's when that other parent outside of the house needs to reinforce it's okay. Because those are two different relationships. Nobody is in competition here. I never felt like there's a stepmom, like she I'm replacing her mother. That's crazy. Like for me to even think that it's crazy to me. I'm not calling people crazy, but in my own experience, I never had that thought process where it was even like choosing me. What are you choosing me for? Let's just build a relationship. That was it.
AllenExactly. I think it would be helpful too if we heard a lot of cases from different thank you. Turn the heat off because it's getting hot.
EveOh, okay, okay. You ain't have to do all of that. Say all of that.
AllenThey'll need to know our business. Yeah, yeah, they do. They know the same thing. Alan's hot, buttercups cold, and the heat always on. Thank God it's getting hot.
EveOh my goodness. I almost still had heater on in the summertime. So I don't know if it is what it is.
AllenWe're gonna be all burning. But the I think we have more, we should have more cases where children are speaking out about this and how they feel because they're put in a place that if I join alliance with my stepmom or stepdad, how will my parents feel about this? And they're like, okay, I don't want to, like you said before, be disrespectful. So I just just like you know, and then and other parents looking at it like this is has to be rejection. They're rejecting me. But in that parent is that um significant other is not putting themselves in that child's place, like, okay, what are they thinking? What are they going through? Like, what is the case here? Are you don't want to get close to me because you're close to your mom and dad, and you feel like you can't have everybody in your life?
EveIs that but very rarely is that conversation even brought up. No, people don't think about that. And then there is people or children that will play a role at each person's house. So they're making it seem like to their biological parent, I don't like her or him, I don't want to be over there, and then come here and basically say, Yeah, everything is good. And then if the two parents are not in conversation, like if they don't speak, they they are not in communication, then that is just a whole mess. And there are children out here that's doing that, you know, and now it's causing more division because of I'm not blaming a child because again, the parents should be in communication, right?
AllenAnd it's easier for them to do that when everybody's not talking.
EveRight. Because everybody, a lot of people, I'm not the person that's going to just say, I believe exactly what my child says. Right. This must be the truth. I want to figure out what is the truth in between what my child said and what the adults are, you know, what really happened. Because children sometimes tell the half-truth from their own perspective. So you need to be able to communicate so that you can get the full understanding of what's going on, not just saying, Oh, my child came and told me you don't feed them over there. So now you thinking, I'm neglecting your child, but really it is they overeating at your house, and I only allow certain things. I don't allow four or five snacks after dinner, but you allow that, you know. So to the child, it's like I didn't eat enough. I'm just using that as an example, you know. So it there needs to be some type of communication there, not just they neglected, let's go call CPS. Let's get, you know, it's it's crazy. Right.
AllenSo think about this. If you're a step parent out there, maybe that could be the case. And the heat back on again. Like, come on, you're killing me.
EveGo ahead. You gotta do all that.
AllenThat they probably protecting the bond between their parents. Let's take it slow.
EveAll right, let them warm up to you, give it a chance, and maybe that that that could be, you know, maybe the first thing probably talk to other parent, like, hey, like, I need we maybe we should hang out so the child sees and we get a we already had this, we already had this discussion, and you see a lot of people in the convert in the comments section saying they don't need to talk to that step parent, they don't want to be involved, they don't want to go through the so if there is no type of willingness to make this a smooth transition for the child, then don't just blame me when it all goes bad. Oh, it must be the stepmom. Oh, my child just don't you need to be accountable for your role in this right?
AllenAs grown-ups, we have to. That's definitely a part where we have to think about the children. Maybe we should come together. If it was a problem in that in before, it was a if there was a problem before, and then okay, I can understand that. If there wasn't a problem and you just saying, like, I don't want to talk to this person, they don't have to say nothing to me. Let's think about the child because the child just had to make grown-up decisions.
EveThey right there in the middle, right?
AllenRight, they're in there, like, I can't bond with you because I'm right messing up, I'm going to mess up something with you.
EveOr they did bond, and now the other parent feels some type of way, and now they throwing in stuff that don't even make sense, telling a child you can't call them mama or daddy because you I don't, I'm confused when you say mama, daddy.
AllenOkay, okay, that's that that's the next one. Let's get into the other parent. Okay, other parent that's not in the home, y'all. Say attention, other parent is not in the home. The biological parent suddenly or openly expressed jealousy or bitterness when they're talking around the child about right, because if the child comes and say, Oh, my mama is like, Well, I'm your mom, and some now somebody feels in some type of way.
EveWell, I should be the only one you call mama, and now the child coming back over here or daddy, you know, and then the child comes back over here. Now they feel confused, like, well, I was calling you mom, but then my mom said that I can't call you mom because she confused on when you're talking. You know what I mean? Like at that point, it's not even that serious, but then that is a hindrance in the relationship because now the child is confused about who you are and what role you play.
AllenSo, right, the other parent has to be careful because yes, talking around them, talking bad about but some people like that.
EveSome people like that the the you know, the relationship with the step parent is messed up, they happy about that, right?
AllenBecause they're like, I'm winning because they won't get close to them, they won't steal my child.
EveAt the end of the day, it's hurting your child, so you can have that mindset, you can proceed with that, but you talking about you offer your child, but that's the mindset you have.
AllenBut then let your child bond with everybody else. Uncle Joe, teachers, like regular people, somebody walking down the street, like, yeah, yeah, let me my child, come over here. Yeah, let's talk my child. But the step, the I mean the yeah, the step parent. Let's shut it down. Uh-uh. They might take my spot.
EveI've always been like when my children went to their dad's house and he was dating somebody and they felt like they wanted to call her mom. I'm totally fine with that. If they look at her and she's respecting and loving them as a mother figure, I'm all for it. I'm not sitting over here trying to claim some type of title that I already have. I'm again, I'm secure in my relationship with my children. It's it's showing some insecurity on that other person's, you know, for you not to want your child to build a healthy relationship with the people they around. That makes no sense.
AllenLet's think about this, guys. When um you have to deal with your other, thank you, thank you, Lord. Thank you. We just want to go. We thank you. Turning the heat off, Lord, because it's getting hot in here. Two minutes later. Uh no. Go ahead. So let's think about this. The other parent, you're the one with the child, you're the bio parent, and you're um the dad or the other mom or whoever other parent is in a relationship, you are expressing harmful things around your child, and they're taking that in. Of course, they listen to everything, and now they're, you know, have some hatred towards their stepmom, stepdad. So we really have to be careful. We want the kids to be in a safe environment and they're happy. This is messing a lot of things up, and you okay with it?
EveJust because you are mad or bitter or whatever the that bitterness goes into the child, and now the child is bitter over something that they don't even know about. Right. They don't even or they have a misperception of what it is based off of how you felt, and you poured that into your own child, and then when they get older, they feel like, oh, that other parent wasn't there for me, didn't want to be bothered with me, and that wasn't even the truth.
AllenBecause you know, children they're gonna ride for their parents regardless, right? But let's get out to the significant other overcompensating with control or discipline.
EveI'm laughing at that because I could see that in a lot of situations. Yeah, because you don't have like a role, you feel left out. Somebody like, well, I'ma insert myself, especially if you have to watch the job. And now that is that is so unhealthy and it's so unfortunate because that yeah, that's that's terrible to always be that disciplinary one. You're not even able to bond with the child because they're always in trouble for something, or you're microscoping everything that they are doing, which can happen, you know.
AllenBecause you think in your mind, like, okay, my significant other, I mean, my bioparent is not doing their job in this area. So maybe I should step in and help and do the do-da-do. Since they'll I'm I'm we're married, so I'm like their mom or dad. So let me go ahead and then do it and do it and keep doing it, and then and you're you're kind of taking control little by little.
EveAnd it's like overstepping. You have to, okay, then that goes back to don't leave your child with me. Because you have to be able to have some type, some form of control. I'm not saying overly control, but if the child is with you, the biological parent is gone, you have to step in as the fit. You can't just let the child one run wild and never discipline, never say nothing, or get to the point where where we were at one point where I'm just calling you on the phone saying, This is what this happening here. That is a mess. Like, who wants to live like that? And now I'm stressing you out. You at work, you can't even work because you worried about what's going on in the house.
AllenThen they have to be cautious because things, if you overdo something, then there are going to be some kind of reactions from other people that see that. Like, hey, like who gave you permission to do this? Like you just thought of yourself to just insert yourself?
EveOkay, so that means that again, that means don't leave your child with me.
AllenWell, right, I guess he's saying just leaving your child point, but what if they're not leaving the child?
EveI mean, oh, you're saying the other parent is there and they just stepping in. Oh, okay.
AllenAnd just different, right? I mean to take it slower.
EveI think most people, but I think most people will let the biological parent um, you know, take can I don't want to say take control, but address whatever needs to be addressed. But it goes back to our first one, which is now you're not correcting the child because you feel some type of way or sympathy, empathy, whatever you want to say, and the child is just doing certain things that need to be corrected and you're not doing it, then yes, the person is might have to step in and say something.
AllenBut maybe the parent is just having a slow transition on maybe they didn't before y'all got there, maybe they didn't punish them or anything like that, and now they have to be adjust to parenting style of disciplining them. Okay, so they're trying to get used to that.
EveYou should have done all of this before you got to do that. This is what I'm saying in the mirror. You can't expect the person to just sit around, discipline their child. You okay with their children being disciplined, then when it comes to your own child, you want to have again all of the sympathy and empathy for them. That makes zero sense. Nobody is gonna be pleased or happy with that. If you feel like you never disciplined your child, that's even worse. So you have no type of disciplinary, you know, like thought process on if your child is doing something, how do you expect it? You that's not gonna work out because if it's structured, you already have your children structured on what your disciplinary actions are for your children. Somebody else come in and talking about I don't have any at all, and you supposed to just accept that. So that means you're telling me that this child is gonna run the house. Well, they could just do whatever they want to do with it without any consequences to their actions, and now. My children are seeing that, and that's just it's not gonna work out.
AllenLet's talk about another point that can happen with the significant other. Okay, withdrawing emotionally, okay, or another term with just being numb. You numb through everything. You're like, ah, I we have dealt with so much. I can't put myself back in in that area or that of our marriage with that child. As you should have been hurt, I've been lied on, disrespected.
EveSo I think that that's a healthy place.
AllenStep back.
EveThat's a healthy place to me, whether we want to call it numb or not. I mean, if you're protecting your own peace, I don't see nothing wrong with it.
AllenWell, right. It might cause problems with the the other. I mean, it might cause problems with the parent because they're looking like it just seems like everything's gonna be a problem.
EveEverything is an issue.
AllenI don't see what what happened. Why did you have to go through this? Why do we have to step back? Can you do a little something? Can you just like participate in this little area? And then other I can get that, but everything. Like you saying, you were drawing everything. You don't want this child to be like around. I don't know about a rod now. I understand. They're around, you're not barely interacting with them. So the other the parent is looking like, can you at least talk to them a little bit? And you just like and I can never put so much on my shoulders with this child. Yeah. It's been years.
EveAnd I can understand that perspective of you, you're not the one that experienced it. You're not the one that went through being lied on, looked at in some type of way. You're not the one that experienced all of that. So of course, your first reaction is, I really want you to have this bond with my child that may not ever happen. That's the reality of it. If the child does not want to be bothered, then you cannot try to force relationships. Andor you say, Oh, can you at least talk to my child? If the child comes and asks the question, and again, the biological parent feels some type of way, you can't answer no questions. If the if the child comes and asks the question, and it's a question that's a boundary to the other parent, you can't even answer the question. So it's so many rules and boundaries placed on the step parent. Where where are you at with it? You you walking on eggshells in your house, you don't know what you can and cannot say. Who wanna live like that?
AllenNobody, but uh, I can understand from the parent's perspective is this is very sad. Now it's very sad in the point of now. My child is seeing that aspect of well, you're withdrawing.
EveWell, it got to that place, right?
AllenIt did.
EveIt's not like you just now if you just start, if you start off with drawing, like I don't want to be bothered, then that's something totally different. But if it if it was steps that the the step parent fought and did all they could and and been through this for years, and now it's just like, you know what, the best thing to do for me, my own sanity, is to step back and let the biological parents handle it. I don't see anything wrong with that.
AllenOkay, is there ever gonna be a point where the walls are gonna come down and you maybe be open to the child? Is it some type of possibility? I believe so. Could be. Or this withdrawal or numbness is just like I'm distanced.
EveWell, that's the unhealthy numbness. That's unhealthy when you're closed off to a point where forever, never again. But if you're just withdrawing, saying, okay, let me step back because maybe I am the issue, maybe I'm the problem, whatever. Let me, you know, put take myself out of it. Let me not even have an opinion, which most of the time we still do have an opinion on it. But you know what I mean? Like you're trying to step back to make sure you aren't the issue. Because everybody's saying you the issue, it's always an issue with it, whatever you do. So nobody wants to continue to try to force something, and then now you're hurting yourself trying to force something.
AllenWell, can you just can we fake it to make it? Can we fake somehow? Well, some people can looking like can you some people could fake it to make it.
EveI'm not, I'm me personally, I'm not faking it to make anything. I'm not teaching my children to be fake in any way, shape, or form. I already live that life of being fake and trying to be around people that we don't get along, but I'm just here for the kids. I'm done with doing that.
AllenIf people feel comfortable with doing I'm laughing because they see you in the corner.
EveRight. You really don't even want to be there. So you faking who wants fake love? Why are you why is that even supposed like an option for you? You teaching your children one thing, but you over here giving fake love to somebody you don't even want to be bothered with. For me, it's a no. I mean, if people want to do that, they could leave in the comments how it worked out for them. But for me, it's a no. I'm not, it's either gonna be something, some type of genuine connection, genuine love, or nothing at all. Because I don't want fake love from anybody.
AllenYou hear that, ladies and gentlemen.
EveAnd I wouldn't want to give fake love to somebody, you know.
AllenOkay, uh, yeah, yeah, y'all hear that, ladies and gentlemen. If y'all thinking about running out to get in play, some of y'all, we just have we me and my wife had a thing, stay single, stay single, yeah.
EveIt's nothing wrong with that.
AllenAll these examples we're giving you, it could happen if you run out and get in a relationship with somebody. We're talking about both of y'all coming in with children, type of conflict issues with the loyalty conflict and blended families. Right, it's difficult. Marriage is already hard, but now you're putting another layer on top of it with blended families, third parties coming out of nowhere, third parties, families and stuff. Right, y'all, we really need to have this. Just think about if some of y'all say, Well, I'm doing it for the child, are you really thinking about the child in certain instances? Maybe some of y'all, if you think about the child that much, just stay by yourself, just stay by yourself and focus on the child. You already messed it up by having a child outside of marriage, or you got married and you want to divorce. This is the consequences of divorce. Right. Let's be real with ourselves.
EveBut if y'all enjoyed this divorce or sex outside of the marriage, bringing a child into the world, and now the child is just, you know, whatever happens, happens.
AllenIf y'all appreciate this content, please man. Hit that like button, hit the comment, share it to somebody who needs to hear it because a lot of us we see nowadays are going into blended families. Right. They've been popular, but I think they're more and more more and more, yeah.
EveBecause people not putting in the word, they just having sex outside of marriage, they doing whatever, they having kids, and they moving on right after the child not even one year old, and you move it on to somebody else two or three times. And and again, um I think that people need to be honest. Like, y'all need to be honest with y'all selves. Some of these things that we talked about, I know everybody wants to act like they not going through nothing, they not going through it, it's not a thought process. But take into consideration and really think to yourself are you struggling with any of these things? Okay, and just deal with it. Have a conversation with your spouse, bring it up, figure it out. I don't know. You know, work towards doing better and being in a healthier space in your blended family. If you're gonna have a blended family, have a healthy one, not an unhealthy dynamic. Just to say y'all stayed together, but the keys all damaged at the end of the day, you know?
AllenSo we're gonna wrap it up. We thank y'all, we love y'all so much if you made it this far, man. What up, fam? What up, cuz? What up, pigs? We we appreciate the love, y'all. So much. But we out. Bye.
EveBye. Marriage is not a game.