Sue Scheff: Step Families Good for Kids - Blended Families
Source: Connect with Kids “The challenges were having my kids listen to Gladys and having her kids listen to me – they didn’t.” – Michael Uhri, a father Every year, the parents of one million children get divorced. And every day, 1,300 new step-families are formed. Those first days and months aren’t easy, but studies show that kids who live in step-families are happier than children whose parents never re-marry. When Gladys and Michael decided to marry, it wasn’t just one plus one … it was four plus four. Two families of divorce were joining each other, and the kids didn’t like it. “We didn’t get along AT ALL,” says Tiffany, now 14 years old. “I didn’t like having a whole new family,” says Ashley, 15. Michael’s kids resented Gladys, and her kids wouldn’t listen to him. “They stayed in their own room a lot; they found things to do by themselves a lot,” Gladys says. Divorce is hard enough on children, but when a divorced parent remarries, joining a new family can be an emotionally diffi...