Download a free copy of the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Charlotte Shoup Olsen, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Family Systems Relationships between children, parents and stepparents can be very stressful. Parenting can be a challenge in any family, but living in a stepfamily makes the parenting role even more difficult.
Stepparents are instant parents.
Stepparents are often put into the role of instant parents without previous parenting knowledge or experience. The children are a reality that can not be ignored. Relationships between stepparents and stepchildren are usually challenging, regardless if the stepparent has other children. A stepparent has to find a way to relate to stepchildren that likely will be different from the child s relationship with the biological parent. This can be hard.