Tuesday, July 5, 2011

What You Need To Understand When Raising Step Children

By Grant Victor Xavier


The role of parent is one of the most demanding jobs there is and today, with all the various family structures, you have to really keep an open mind. It's true that some marriages last for life, but this is happening less and less as time goes on. This means, among other things, that it's very likely you'll find yourself raising step children at some point. If you read this article carefully and take the tips here to heart, your path to becoming a successful stepparent will be made easier.

The age of your stepchildren will play an important role in defining your relationship with them. If the child is very young, a toddler or even younger, then it's very likely that the child will eventually think of you as their "real" parent. When you are considering marrying someone who already has children, it's important to think seriously about what your responsibilities will be ahead of time. If your step-kids are older, you will most likely become their friend rather than a parent. Are your step-kids in their teens? If so, your spouse will most likely keep the role as parent and you will have an ancillary role as friend. The interactions in every family are different. The ages of the stepchildren will be pivotal to how you interact with them.

It often takes a great deal of patience to be a step parent. It takes a while for a stepchild to accept a new parent figure into their life; so don't look for immediate rapport with the child. You have to empathize with the child, as they will most likely miss their bio parent, whether they lost him or her through divorce or death. It's very common for a stepchild to resent the new "intruder" into their life. It's important to continue to patiently advance your efforts to bond with the child, but you have to be careful not to be too aggressive. If you make it clear that you're available to help them out but that you're not trying to replace their original parent, they'll gradually open up to you.

Later on, it is important that you sit down with your spouse and figure out the best way that both of you can work together in raising the children. Sometimes issues will come up that you didn't anticipate, such as when you and your partner have a different opinion on something.

As we've seen in this article, there are many aspects to being a step parent, and things don't always go as smoothly as you'd like. It is important that you keep a positive frame of mind realizing that you will have a solid and happy family in the future once the step children have had time to adjust to you. The advice we've shared in this article can be helpful in this regard, and you always have to let the relationship develop in a natural way and not try to rush things.

More and more people are starting to discover that going on getaway can have a great effect on your family associations. When you spend time together enjoying the same things and locations, you actually produce heavy and enduring bonds. Why not start planning your next holiday today?




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