Love is beautiful to witness and experience. When two people are in love with each other, there are very few hurdles they won’t figure out how to overcome.
Love’s greatest challenges always withstand the test of time. One increasingly common issue many lovebirds face is the merging of two families.
Blended families are becoming more prevalent where the one partner (or both) have children from a previous marriage. Since kids are involved, it makes a sticky situation even stickier.
In order to come out on the other side still in love, it’s wise to create a parenting place. Consider these elements when you’re working to blend families together with the one you love.
1. Patience
Understand this situation is incredibly delicate. There are usually hurt feelings.
There could be multiple people who aren’t happy with the change. Try not to do anything suddenly.
There are cases when a parent got a divorce. Divorces rip families in half and are very difficult for children.
There are other cases when the parent became a widow because the spouse died. In those cases, children don’t want to feel as though their deceased parent is getting replaced.
Be sensitive to the grief of the children and extend grace and patience to them as they get used to this new life.
2. Parental Agreement
If the break-up of the family was due to a divorce, understand the other parent has a right to their children and what they experience. To keep things fair, it’s best for all parties (excluding the children) to sit down with a lawyer, such as one from Hackworth Law, to work out the logistics of who gets the children, how they’re cared for and all the other gray areas.
As adults, it’s really important to set the tone for how things operate and how well the families can blend.
3. Mutual Respect
In many cases, it’s common for someone to have disdain for someone else in a mixed family situation. Whether it’s the children or the ex, there’s usually a hurting party.
Now, it’s okay to dislike someone. It’s another thing to disrespect them.
Everyone deserves a certain level of respect in this situation.
It should also be enforced. As long as people respect one another, this can lead to an environment of healing and reconciliation.
4. Family Time
When families come together, it’s vital for them to get to know one another and develop a level of concern and care for one another. Create a tradition for a family date night or day when the family can spend time talking,
interacting and having fun with one another. It’ll strengthen the bond and make the transition easier to handle – not only for the parents but, more importantly, the children as well.
If a certain child has a particular interest, engage the entire family in an activity involving that. It would also be a good idea to alternate between children’s and parents’ interest so that everyone can get to learn more about each other in a fun way.
There are tons of blended family units that make it work and thoroughly enjoy each other. With respect, commitment and patience, any family can make it through the transitions and find a deeper love on the other side.
While your kids may not stand out by having stepparents, stepbrothers or stepsisters, getting these family members to live in harmony can still be challenging. Luckily, there are steps you can take to help everyone get along and live together peacefully.
