Why some blended families do not get along and fail

The number of blended families in America is growing, and so are the problems associated with blended family living. Statistics show that the number of blended families today is twice the number ten years ago, and that more than 1,300 blended families are created each day. That’s a lot! But what is really alarming is that six out of ten of these blended families fail and eventually break up.

Why is it that more blended families fail than succeed? There are various reasons for blended families to become incompatible, but when you really try to look at it, to look past the arguing, the fighting, the yelling, and the finger pointing, it all comes down to two main problems:

1. Selfishness. This is manifested when a parent, or both, wants their own personal agenda to prevail in the home regardless of the consequences. Parents may want their own child to get the best of everything and will constantly try, even obviously at times, to see that it is so.

2. Lack of trust. This occurs when a biological parent will be on the lookout for a partner’s verbal and non-verbal expressions and actions that will be used to interpret any form of unfairness done towards them. This results in the non-biological parent’s feeling of being constantly watched and scrutinized. Often, misinterpretation is the product of this behavior, which would further lead to accusations and verbal assaults that would effectively create a gap between them.

Most blended and step families start out with affection and love, but eventually loose direction in the troubled waters of blended family life. The Blended and Step Family Resource Center has resources to assist those blended families having difficulty navigating the course towards a strong and successful blended family relationship. Call today and start your road to a more rewarding blended or step family life.