The Blended Family
The Blended Family
The American Blended Family
Often times we think of marriage, we think of starting a family and living happily ever after. Today’s society compared to when I was growing up is a little different. The divorce rate is higher now than it was twenty five years ago with a divorce rate of 45-50%. Over half of people that divorce remarry after about five years and the new family becomes a blended family. Blended families are defined as “any marriage in which at least one of the spouses becomes a stepparent, regardless of the age of the children” (Becnels’ definition). Of course with anything there are pros and cons with blended families which present unique opportunities for family growth. Some of the “cons” of a blended family are jealousy, lack of trust, selfishness, cooperation and lack of communication. When any of these items are issues in a blended situation it mostly dims light on the husband and wife. There are also “pros” to being in a blended family when typically dealing with the “cons” effectively strengthens the families’ closeness. These consist of good cooperation, the pursuit of good communication, unselfish actions from everyone involved and consistently building trust. All can be effective but the extra challenges require extra effort to make a strong family. Family life is full of many challenges, but there are extra challenges for blended families. This is one of the reasons the divorce rate for remarried couples is higher than for first- time marriages. People don’t realize the issues that come with a blended family. There are major adjustments that have to take place in a blended family. Traditional families where both biological parents and kids are in the same household are great, but I believe it takes someone special in order to be able to sustain in a blended family and I believe that what makes a blended family strong. There are three major challenges that will be focused on throughout
The American Blended Family
Often times we think of marriage, we think of starting a family and living happily ever after. Today’s society compared to when I was growing up is a little different. The divorce rate is higher now than it was twenty five years ago with a divorce rate of 45-50%. Over half of people that divorce remarry after about five years and the new family becomes a blended family. Blended families are defined as “any marriage in which at least one of the spouses becomes a stepparent, regardless of the age of the children” (Becnels’ definition). Of course with anything there are pros and cons with blended families which present unique opportunities for family growth. Some of the “cons” of a blended family are jealousy, lack of trust, selfishness, cooperation and lack of communication. When any of these items are issues in a blended situation it mostly dims light on the husband and wife. There are also “pros” to being in a blended family when typically dealing with the “cons” effectively strengthens the families’ closeness. These consist of good cooperation, the pursuit of good communication, unselfish actions from everyone involved and consistently building trust. All can be effective but the extra challenges require extra effort to make a strong family. Family life is full of many challenges, but there are extra challenges for blended families. This is one of the reasons the divorce rate for remarried couples is higher than for first- time marriages. People don’t realize the issues that come with a blended family. There are major adjustments that have to take place in a blended family. Traditional families where both biological parents and kids are in the same household are great, but I believe it takes someone special in order to be able to sustain in a blended family and I believe that what makes a blended family strong. There are three major challenges that will be focused on throughout