Second marriages that involve stepchildren can create difficult parenting problems. University of Hawaii Family Management Specialist Ronald Wall says children of one parent can appear to be in competition with the children of the other parent. There's often a tendency to think in terms of what's mine, what's yours, and what's ours. Wall says one way to avoid such problems is for the biological mother or father to share with the stepparent the satisfaction that comes from a child's accomplishments. A stepparent is more likely to make sacrifices for a child whose successes he or she feels personally.
Stepparents are usually more supportive of respectful and obedient children.
That means a biological parent should avoid undermining a stepparent's authority by overruling his or her disciplinary decisions. Siding with a child against a stepparent can lessen the child's confidence in both parents. This is the University Report, I'm Tracy Orillo Donovan.