Step Parenthood – Remarriage
{mosimage}A re-marriage is very different from a first marriage. There
are different combinations in a re-marriage, each has its own unique
difficulties and of course joys.
For example, both of you may have been married before, you may have no
children or both have children. Only one set of children may live with
you, the other visit occasionally or none of the children live with or
all of the children. Whenever there are children in a re-marriage,
there is movement in and out of your family and many different
relationships to navigate and negotiate, as well as your own new
relationship to build.
Stepfamily Loyalties
{mosimage}Although divorced parents often struggle to maintain civility with
their former spouses, there is a growing number cases involving
remarriage where the bond between parent and child, as well as the bond
between new spouses, is unintentionally weakened in the process. Dr.
William Doherty, professor and director of the Marriage and Family
Therapy program at the University of Minnesota, believes it is possible
for stepfamilies to succeed in creating a nurturing life together.
