This invaluable book by Dr. James H. Bray reveals breakthrough findings and offers the first detailed guide to easing the conflicts of stepfamily life. A leading expert on stepfamilies, Dr. Bray conducted a comprehensive nine-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health that explains why half of all stepfamilies fail, and what makes the others succeed.
The simple, daily issues that challenge any family are even more anxiety-provoking for America's twenty million stepfamilies. Blended families are assaulted on all sides by difficult and often divisive questions: How much control should a stepparent have over a stepchild? How much authority should a nonresidential parent exert over a child? How should a difficult former spouse be handled? How does an "ours" baby change the emotional dynamic in a stepfamily? Why is there a lack of "honeymoon effect" during the first years of stepfamily life?
Stepfamilies answers these important questions and fills in the knowledge gaps that undermine so many stepfamilies today. Based on one of the largest and longest studies of stepfamily life ever conducted, this book interweaves the stories of real families to illustrate study findings.