Two WSU alumni launch resources for blended families, backed by support from professors
OGDEN, Utah — Weber State University alum Morgan Lindahl remembers watching her now 6-year-old daughter’s tearful goodbyes as her older siblings transitioned between homes in their blended family.
Lindahl has three biological children with her husband and two stepchildren. Seeing her daughter navigate these emotions inspired Lindahl to make something to help. 
“I spent years thinking about this story, taking notes, and wanting to create something that would help children like her feel seen and understood,” Lindahl said.
After finding few resources, Lindahl decided to make her own.
She reached out to fellow WSU alum Amanda Gonzales, who earned her bachelor’s degree in early childhood and is now a licensed clinical mental health therapist.
Gonzales is also a parent in a blended family. She’s the biological mom of four. Her youngest daughter is an “ours baby,” a term blended families lovingly use for children born to a couple where one or both partners have children from a previous relationship.
Together, the two built the brand “For The Kids Who Stay,” which offers resources to help kids and families cope with blended families’ transition days.
Their first product is a book Lindahl wrote, “How Many More Days?!” The characters are based on Lindahl and Gonzales’ children’s favorite stuffed animals and offer young readers strategies to work through tough feelings when their siblings leave for their other home.
They said their kids grab the book off the shelf every day their siblings transition to their other parent’s house. That prompted them to expand their resources, and they created the “Parent Kit” with more tools to cope with transition days. The kit includes a countdown calendar for the days until their siblings return, along with the feelings wheel to help the family navigate big emotions.
“Motherly love is a special kind of love. And there is a very special love that comes from choosing to love a child that is not yours, and choosing to give your full self to them,” Lindahl said. “My relationship with my stepkids is so sacred, and focusing on the kids is so important.”
Gonzales and Lindahl hope the resources they share help blended families feel seen and supported.
“I think the conversations we’ve had with blended families and just being able to talk about it in a concrete way for kids to understand makes such a big difference,” Gonzales said.
When Gonzales was a student at WSU, she did undergraduate research in both child and family studies and psychology, including working with psychology professor Leigh Shaw.
Shaw’s mentorship continued after graduation, and she read the first draft of Gonzales and Lindahl’s book.
“She thought the world needed to see this,” Lindahl said. “The fact that I still have a relationship and this type of friendship with my professors years after getting my degree is pretty powerful.”
Both Lindahl and Gonzales remember their journeys starting at WSU.
Lindahl recalls communication professor Brent Warnock’s mentorship, and his encouragement helped give her the push she needed to become an author.
“I could just see it, even years before she ever wrote this book,” Warnock said. “Her work was preparing her to write.”
Warnock has a quote on the back of the book, and he’ll be a featured speaker at an event Lindahl and Gonzales are hosting in partnership with Youth Impact. The community is invited to Blended Family Night, Nov. 14 from 5–7 p.m. at Youth Impact, 2305 Grant Ave. in Ogden.
The free event is open to all and is aimed at anyone raising kids in two homes or those new to the blended family dynamic. The first 20 families in attendance will be gifted a book. The evening will include activities to strengthen communication and connection, as well as complimentary dinner. Registration is available on the For The Kids Who Stay event page.
Warnock said he’s proud to see his former student succeed after Weber State University gave her the foundation she needed for success.
“Professors and academic advisors have students’ best interest in mind and we really want them to succeed,” Warnock said. “We’re here for them.”
Sophie Czirr, Marketing & Communications
- Contact:
Rachel Badali, Public Relations Director
801-626-7948, rachelbadali@weber.edu