Communication and Involving Blended Families by Kim Copithorne


 Communication and Involving Blended Families

    Sometimes families can be a complicated matter, and it can become even more complicated when families are blended together. In our center and as our role as caregivers and educators, we are here to help provide resources and support during and after the sometimes difficult transition of blending a family. 

Blended Family Statistics:

  • About 43% of all marriages are remarriages for at least one of the adults
  • About 65% of remarriages involve children from the prior marriage and form blended families
  • One of three Americans is now a stepparent, a stepchild, a stepsibling, or some other member of a blended family
  • One out of 10 children of divorce experiences three or more parental marriage breakups.
  • The high school dropout rate of children of divorced parents is roughly two times higher than that of children of which the parents did not divorce. (Wells, 2013)


        As society "norms" change and evolve, the definition of a family has evolved over time. Once the standard, the nuclear family (a Mom, Dad and children) is no longer the only standard or way that a family can be. There are some stresses for a child that can come from this transition time, the relationship between their new stepparent, relationship between their bonus siblings, visitation with parents, transition days, grief from the loss of the family environment they once knew. 

What we can do as educators to help support these families? We can:

  • Make sure communication to both parents is equally informative.
  • Direct families to resources to help with emotional, social, financial needs.
  • Have meetings with both families to establish a plan to help the child integrate into their new environment.
  • Have the contact information for all the parents, biological and step parents, if it is allowed.
  • Be aware and up to date with custody agreements, transition days, and visitation days.
  • Respect the boundaries of the families.
  • Respect all relationships, old and new.
  • Help the needs and well being of the child come first when having meetings and conversations with the parents.
The Importance of Communication:  
    
    Communication is vital to helping blended families succeed "When communication is clear, open, and frequent, there are fewer opportunities for misunderstanding and more possibilities for connection, whether it is between parent and child, step-parent and stepchild, or between step-siblings" (Segal & Robinson, 2020). The lines of communication will be open to all families with a focus on your specific wants and needs.

    
How we involve everyone:

    We Provide events at the center to allow for all parts of the family to come and interact with the center. Having a family focused night that involves games, sports or other interactive activities can provide a safe space for everyone to come and support the children in the program.  

What is our mission:

    As educators our focus is providing a safe, stable, open, fun environment for the children of all family circumstances. We can be a support system and community that can guide, provide and help navigate families through their many life changes. If we do not have answers, then we will have a resource system that we can direct them to, and they can further support and help the families.


References 

Wells, A. (2013, September 30). Divorce and Blended Families in the Classroom [Prezi slides]. Prezi. https://prezi.com/6keprovpx6sn/divorce-blended-families-in-the-classroom/

Segal, J., & Robinson, L. (2020, November). Blended Families & Step-Parenting Tips. Help Guide. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/parenting-family/step-parenting-blended-families.htm

Good Therapy. (2020, April 8). Blended Family Issues. https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/blended-family-issues



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