Stepparenting

 

The Issues

 

·        Stepparenting always contains elements of grief and loss. Whether this is through death or through separation and/or divorce, it is a consistent factor and needs to be recognised and addressed before dealing with any other issues.

·        As with any other relationships, we bring into them ‘baggage’ from the past; good, bad and indifferent. This will affect any new relationship. The relationships we are talking about here are child/ child, child/ adult and adult/ adult.

·        “Blended families” are the result of dealing with the issues and is not an automatic state.

·        Stepparenting is different from parenting in a family where the children have biological parents living together.

Management of the Issues

 

Some people are in a position to deal with these issues without assistance. Many people are not in that position and require professional assistance. This is not a sign that they have failed in fact quite the reverse for as for many other issues in our lives, we can be too close, in order to gain a realistic perspective.