Real life bursts the Brady Bunch bubble

via adelaidenow.com.au Psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg said the first two years could be the hardest, with stepparents who try to discipline their stepchildren one of the biggest issues.

"They have to understand they are not the parent - they can come to play a central role in their stepchildren's lives but that takes a long, long time," he said.

stepfamilyaustralia responded:  Sadly the article did not mention the current divorce rate for stepfamilies, between 60% and 70%. Enough is not being done to support this growing family group. Relationships Australia do not run courses in all of the States and when they do only in the major capital cities.

Stepfamilies Australia, based in Victoria run approximately 4 courses per year.

But resources are limited.

The good news is that there is an increasing amount of information and support available online.

I would encourage those couples contemplating forming a stepfamily to read as much as they can. They need to communicate with each other issues like house rules, discipline, finances, where they will live, are there still proceedings before the Family Law Court, what about the Child Support Agency.

Personally I feel too many couples form a stepfamily without doing their homework.

The key to a successful stepfamily is communication.

John Faulkner

Stepfamily Zone