Remarriage and Stepfamilies: The Impact on Children

Remarriage and Stepfamilies: The Impact on Children

Introduction

In step-families, myriad potential problems may arise. Children can suffer from feeling responsible and guilty of first marriage of divorce. Parents may feel humiliated or rejected, or insecure, for their failure of their first marriage, they could get children to physical tasks (which would not be so bad, basically) or sentimental (like confidant, which can be destructive). Children may well feel some shame, and wonder whether what they do for their step-parent is not a kind of betrayal of their biological parent? Remarriage also marks the eyes of the children lost all hope of reconciliation, hope that children cherish long after it has lost its realism. If the remarriage occurs after death, the grief of a child is perhaps not complete. Sadness can last long and can continue to modulate behavior. It may again result in feelings of shame or feelings of betrayal (Levete, 2006).

On a practical level, adjustments are needed: new apartment, new parents, new rules, maybe a new city, new friends, new school, new doctor. Each calls for a new adaptation difficult in itself, let alone the combination of several of them. No wonder that in-laws need to be helped. Many couples completely lack of realism in the image they have of their remarriage. For several decades the divorce, children born outside marriage, remarriage of divorcees is increasing. The "blended family" (a term recently emerged) has become commonplace (Grunsell, 1990).

Discussion

Divorce and remarriage are quite natural in this era. If you are a divorcee and you don't have a kid to look after, think from the child's perspective of how they might feel about it also. Many a time it's been noticed that children suffer from severe psychological problems when one of their parents chose a new partner to live with. This imbalance may lead them even to destructive ways. Such types of kids often get influenced by anyone. The peer pressure also becomes high for such children (Rogers & Judkis, 1997).

Thus it becomes very important for parents to understand the psychological status of their children before getting involved in any relation. Children generally don't want their parents' love to be shared with anyone other than themselves. When they find their mother's or father's time and love is being shared with an unknown person, an inner depression starts mounting over them. Before getting involved in any relation, the parent should take care of the following things:

Whether your partner have a good gelling with your child or not. It is very important for both of them to enjoy a secured future life.

If you get remarried, you need to provide ample time to your child so that the child shouldn't feel the emptiness.

Your new marriage can have positive impacts on the child also. Your partner can fill the empty place in your child's heart. It is seen that in many cases the parent's can influence freely the child.

Age of the child is another factor affecting children's ...