Believe it or not, life is real and not a fairytale. All over the world blended families are living happily and co-existing harmoniously. Ideally, we’d love to hear that everyone just “clicked’ immediately but I’m sure we all know or have been involved in some incidents that didn’t go so smoothly. Change can sometimes be a challenge but its possible. How can we make the transition better while overcoming blended family problems? When you see celebrity couples like Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith speak about how their blended family exists, doesn’t that make you feel like you can too? Here’s 3 ways that may help you or someone you know make a better transition while overcoming their blended family problems.
1. You have time: It’s vital for you to remember that love doesn’t develop overnight. Instead, within a healthy blended family love develops over time. In your adult relationship, you needed time to for your relationship to develop. There were months or years in between you meeting, dating, falling in love, being engaged and getting married. Even if your children were a large part of the relationship from the beginning, you may have to start the cycle over again after getting remarried. Children need time to develop lasting relationships. So, it’s important not to rush them in the process. Most children will develop feelings of love and attachment to their step-parent, over time, if the parent is patient and loving to them.
Click here to read the last two tips for adjusting to newly blended families.