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From Tricia H. Powe, Creative Director of A Richter
Blend, Stepfamily Chronicles:
There is so much in store for our readers as the series expands to include the extended family relationships,
friends, co-workers and others around the town of Port Hills. Here is some information for those who are new to stepfamily
life. I encourage you not to borrow trouble that is not your own. Try not to assume what is true of someone else's situation
will necessarily be true of your own: . Stepfather
families: The man is the stepparent. This type of stepfamily tends to have less stress than the other types of stepfamilies
(Visher & Visher, 1979) . Stepmother families: The woman is the stepparent. These
families tend to experience much more stress than stepfather families (Santrock & Sitterle, 1987) . Complex
stepfamilies: Both adults have children from a previous relationship. White & Booth (1985) found the greatest
likelihood of divorce is in this family structure. . Suprafamily system: "This includes, at a minimum, the
members of the two households in which the parents of the children now reside...there can be at least three important households
where stepsiblings [and half-siblings] are relating to each other. Many times the grandparents also play important roles in
the suprafamily system drama, while aunts, uncles, and cousins can be important as well." (Visher and Visher, 1988) . StepfamilySystems.com Research Survey Project:
Giving a voice to shared parenting moms, dads, and stepparents since 1990, you are invited to participate in our current seven year study, now in year three. Participate once or annually. . Because
of the super-highway type of connections to other households through the children, boundaries can be unclear
or challenged, outside influences which disrupt the immediate family grouping can be resented [by biological and
stepparents, to varying degrees depending, in part, on the depth of the unresolved issues between them and quality of
coping skills], and a lack of smooth co-conducting between the parents can adversely impact the post-divorce
and regrouping adjustments of the children and their parents - increasing the risk of academic neglect. Conversely, new
and expanded family contacts can increase the opportunity for someone to see the need to come along side a distressed child and
fill the gap distracted parenting creates. This outside person is frequently the one trying to become an insider
- the stepparent. When adult relationships cannot be healed and problems resolved, the impact can be so profound. We
forget or are unaware that those who are most bitter, unkind and unwilling to reach out for restoration are still wounded,
or deeply ashamed and they do not know how to get free. Keeping family members emotionally distant is their protection.
(Powe, 1990, Stepping In for Successful Stepfamily Living Presentation) StepfamilySystems.com
believes a failed divorce contributes to the realization of an UNblended Stepfamily: .
. Mission Statement: To help all children and teens from co-parenting and stepfamily households
enter their classrooms and homework environments ready to learn and meet their full adult potential by providing their
moms, dads and stepparents emotions management support through our unique brand of service through the arts, an
emphasis on creating shared memories, and to serve as a gateway to other prospective children and family services. .
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