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A stepfamily is a group of related adults and kids in which one or more adults chooses the role of part-time or full-time stepparent for their mate's prior child/ren. Thus, any bioparent seriously dating or committed to a new partner after a prior divorce or prior-mate's death, forms a stepfamily. This is true whether they live together or not. Post-divorce stepfamilies have legal documents that further de-fine them - property-settlement decrees; and child custody, support, visitation, and sometimes co-parenting agreements. A minority may have a legal order of protection. In a blended or complex stepfamily, both mates have minor or adult biological or adopted children from prior unions. Committed couples who conceive a child together and/or whose kids are all grown still form a stepfamily. The latter couples usually bypass stressful conflicts over child visitation, support, and custody. They do not bypass significant stress from false-self wounds, step-family unaware- ness, ex-mate barriers, incomplete grief, and divisive family-identity, loyalty, membership, and values conflicts around kids, grandkids, wills and bequests, names, holidays, family priori-ties, and cherished traditions. |
Stepfamily Realities 1 to 3 - Stepfamily
Definition