Newswise — COLUMBIA, Mo. – Remarriages often combine two families into one stepfamily unit. When that stepfamily unit dissolves after a divorce, little is known about the relationships between former ...

When stepchildren notice that a stepparent has made family life better, their previous resistance to bonding with the stepparent can change.

Many new stepparents wonder how they should interact with their new stepchildren. They ask themselves and their partners (and sometimes their stepchildren): “How involved should I be in child-rearing?

Blended families can be complicated, and relationships between stepchildren and stepparents don’t always start smoothly. But over time, patience, understanding, and small acts of care can change ...