Residential Relationships In Children

• Around one third of the children in the U.S will live with a stepparent before they enter into adulthood.
• Stepparents’ contributions of step-relationships
 Stepparents are supposed to take supportive roles
 Authoritative parenting style tends to have better results
 Stepmothers are more likely to suffer role ambiguity
 Residential stepparents are advantaged for building relationships with stepchildren
• Parents’ contributions to step-relationships
 Loyalty conflicts may pull children away from stepparents
 Residential parents’ perception on their partners’ discipline may make the relationship building become harder
• Stepchildren’s contributions to step-relationships
 Stepchildren’s openness to new parent plays an important …show more content…
 Stepmothers are not likely to be appreciated for setting new household roles and correcting stepchildren’s behaviors.
 Researchers found that “relationships started out well and got better or started out poorly and got worse.”
• Patterns of step-relationship development
• Accepting as a parent o Stepparents raised the stepchildren when they were infants or in early childhood o Children regard these stepparents as their parents, and closer to stepparents than their own parents o These children taking actions to maintain the relationship when they are in their adulthood
• Liking from the start o The relationship has a positive start o Children who experience the liking toward their stepparents are generally in the middle childhood or early adolescent when they first met their stepparent o It is easier for the stepparent to be liked if they share common interests with stepchildren o Stepparents are also could be liked due to what they have done to the …show more content…
• Changing trajectories o The step-relationships are improving over times when the stepchildren see stepparents’ efforts to getting closer with them
• Rejecting the stepparent o Children are avoid to see the stepmother when they perceive her as unwelcome o Parents’ “badmounthing” about the other parent and their current spouse will lead children to reject the stepparent o Stepfathers will be rejected when their roles have not been clearly defined
• Coexisting o This pattern comprised by older children who are in high schools or colleges when they officially have a stepparent o They consider stepparents as “casual acquaintances.”
• Children in blended families have higher chances to living with stepfathers, as mothers are more likely to get custody.
• Positive relationships are required both parties’ contributions
• Siblings play significant roles when stepchildren are developing bonds with stepparents.
• Half-siblings are often have positive influences on increasing cohesiveness of a blended