Making Stepfamilies Work

Making Stepfamilies Work

Financial and living arrangements—Adults should agree on where they will live and how they will share their resources. Most often partners embarking on a second marriage report that moving into a new home, rather than one of the partner’s prior residences, is advantageous because the new environment becomes “their home.” Couples also should decide whether they want to keep their bank accounts separate or combine them. Couples who have used the “one-pot” method generally reported higher family satisfaction than those who kept their account separate.

Resolving feelings and concerns about the previous marriage—Remarriage may resurrect old, unresolved anger and hurt from the previous marriage for adults and children. For example, hearing that her parent is getting remarried, a child is forced to give up hope that the custodial parents will reconcile. Or a woman may exacerbate a stormy relationship with her ex-husband, after learning of his plans to remarry, because she feels hurt or angry.

Anticipating parenting changes and decisions—Couples should discuss the role the stepparent will play in raising their new spouse’s children, as well as changes in household rules that may have to be made. Even if the couple lived together before marriage, children are likely to respond to the stepparent differently after remarriage because the stepparent has now assumed an official parental role.

Marriage Quality
While newlywed couples without children usually use the first months of marriage to build on their relationship, couples with children are often more consumed with the demands of their kids. Young children may feel a sense of abandonment or competition as their parent devotes more time and energy to the new spouse. Adolescents are at a developmental stage where they are more sensitive to expressions of affection and sexuality, and may be disturbed by an active romance in their family.
Couples should make priority time for each other, by either making regular dates or taking trips without the children.

Parenting in Stepfamilies
The most difficult aspect of stepfamily life is parenting. Forming a stepfamily with young children may be easier than forming one with adolescent children due to the differing developmental stages. Adolescents, however, would rather separate from the family as they form their own identities.
Recent research suggests that younger adolescents (age 10-14) may have the most difficult time adjusting to a stepfamily. Older adolescents (age 15 and older) need less parenting and may have less investment in stepfamily life, while younger children (under age 10) are usually more accepting of a new adult in the family, particularly when the adult is a positive influence. Young adolescents who are forming their own identities can be more difficult to deal with.

Stepparents should at first establish a relationship with their children that is more akin to being a friend or “camp counselor,” rather than a disciplinarian. Couples can also agree that the custodial parent remain primarily responsible for control and discipline of their children until the stepparent and children develop a solid bond.

Until stepparents can take on more parenting responsibilities, they can simply monitor the children’s behavior and activities and keep their spouses informed. Families might want to develop a list of household rules. These may include, for example, “we agree to respect each family member” or “every family member agrees to clean up after him or herself.”

Stepparent-child Relations
While new stepparents may want to jump right in and establish a close relationship with stepchildren, they should consider the child’s emotional status and gender first. Both boys and girls in stepfamilies have reported that they prefer verbal affection, such as praise or compliments, rather than physical closeness, such as hugs and kisses. Girls especially say they’re uncomfortable with physical shows of affection from their stepfather. Overall, boys appear to accept a stepfather more quickly than girls.

Nonresidential Parent Issues
After a divorce, children usually adjust better to their new lives when the parent who has moved out visits consistently and has maintained a good relationship with them. But once parents remarry, they often decrease or maintain low levels of contact with their children. Fathers appear to show this pattern the most. On average, dads visits to their children decrease by half within the first year of remarriage. The less a parent visits, the more a child is likely to feel abandoned. Parents should reconnect by developing special activities that involve only the children and parent.

Parents shouldn’t speak against their ex-spouses in front of the child because it undermines the child’s self-esteem and may even put the child in a position of defending a parent.

Under the best conditions, it may take two to four years for a new stepfamily to adjust to living together. And seeing a psychologist can help the process can go more smoothly.

Therapists at Westside Behavioral Care in Denver and surrounding cities treat a variety of blended family issues, including step families, divorce, helping parents cope with life cycle events and couples counseling. Visit our Specialties page and click on a Specialty to view a list of WBC therapists who specialize in family issues.

Thanks to James Bray, PhD, a researcher and clinician at the department of family medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

American Psychological Association