Blended Family Problems?

Blended Family Problems? How to Make Your Blended Family Work

Despite the best of intentions, some marriages just don’t work out. Many, if not most, people do go on to find love again, and eventually remarry. It’s not uncommon at all for second marriages to involve children from previous relationships, creating step-families or “blended families.” And as a marriage and family therapist and parenting coach, I work with couples who are going through these experiences.

Here’s the deal: You can fall in love with your dream partner, and have an amazing relationship. You can laugh, be best friends, be romantically compatible, love all the same things, communicate beautifully… and still have an extremely difficult time weathering the ups and downs of (normal and expected) blended family problems. 

I say “normal and expected” because there is always friction as people are learning how to live with each other and love each other. Blended families have more friction because they involve more people. Sometimes, it’s a lot of friction before you get things worked out.

In fact, most couples are absolutely shocked at just how hard the experience of creating a blended family can be.

Learn What Leads to Blended Family Problems

Furthermore, it’s really almost impossible to know, in advance of your remarriage, what the “hotspots” and triggers for each other and your respective kids are going to be before you all begin living under the same roof. Parenting is hard, and step-parenting can be even harder. Discipline, co-parenting with exes, and navigating blended family holidays can all heap stress on your family. While premarital counseling can help prepare your blended family for success, you often just can’t anticipate what blended family problems are going to come up until you do it.

So on this episode of the Love, Happiness and Success podcast, I’m discussing the factors that lead to blended family problems, and how you can circumvent them (or repair them, if you’re already going through this). By understanding the emotional dynamics at work in your blended family, and having a plan for how to negotiate them, you can create a happy, supportive, and peaceful blended family experience. Really!

All the best to you,

Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby