Life in a Stepfamily

When Simon met Marianne, there was another woman he needed to win over – Marianne’s daughter, Charlotte.

Stepfamilies are different and they face many different family pressures. We want to support all ‘blended families’ as they learn how to live in a stepfamily. We support stepfamilies through practical articles and other resources.

Take a look...

• Don't force the pace! It takes time for stepfamilies to feel comfortable together.
• Make it safe for the children to talk about their feelings and grieve their losses. Failure to grieve can result in anger and alienation.
• Don't rubbish your 'ex' in front of the children. They want to be loyal to both of you and don't want to take sides.

I have seven grandchildren. I watch with amusement people’s reactions when I tell them that I have grandchildren blood-related to me, grandchildren blood-related to my husband, and grandchildren that aren’t blood-related to either of us.

When my son announced that he was marrying a single parent with two children, Tony and I realised that we had a choice. Should we accept these children as our grandchildren, or should we treat them differently to our other grandchildren?