Two of the children are from Andy's first marriage. Their other two children are Marianne's niece and nephew, who were adopted by the couple last year after losing their parents in a car accident. It's rented until Marianne and Andy, both of whom work full time, can afford to buy. But in the divorce-scarred landscape of the modern suburb, it doesn't raise an eyebrow. In fact, as prototypes go, the blended and extended Capobianco household cuts across virtually every major modern demographic trend that is reshaping the American family into the new millennium.
Some families share homes to save money.
You know, standard. In many ways, they are a preview. But the next 20 years should fix that. Researchers predict that more than a third of all children born today will live in some kind of stepfamily household before they reach 18. As researchers struggle to track new trends, the rapidly changing family unit remains a moving target.