One of the greatest aspects of a family is that it can expand at any time. New people may be added to your biological or extended family all throughout your life. One of the fastest ways for families to grow quickly is through the addition of a new stepparent.
Life can be difficult for everyone when a stepmother or stepfather is added to a family. Children may be resentful of the “new” person and feel they are trying to replace a birth parent. Adults may have a completely different parenting style than what the family is used to, and that can lead to a great deal of conflict. There is no easy solution that works for everyone, and some experts claim that it takes a minimum of four years for any stepparent to earn a positive relationship with their stepchildren.
Every type of “blended” family must go through a period of adjustment in which they learn to live and evolve together happily. There is help; websites like The StepFamily Life offer a variety of links and resources that offer tips, advice and suggestion on how to turn a newly extended family into a cohesively functioning unit. It can be a long and ongoing process, but bringing an extended family together in a loving and nurturing atmosphere is well worth the effort.
National Stepfamily Day was founded by Christy Borgeld in 1997. Her goal was to champion and celebrate extended families in the United States, and she has been very successful. Borgeld has received support from government officials all throughout the nation, and even from former U.S. Presidents (including President Ford and President Clinton). She has also been honored with a Congressional Award in the field of Parenting, and her holiday was added to the U.S. Congressional Records in 2000.
September 16 is now a nationally recognized day for honoring stepfamilies everywhere, thanks to Borgeld’s efforts. To celebrate, she encourages people to enjoy a picnic with their extended family members, either in a park or their own backyard. However you choose to recognize this time for stepfamilies, we hope you will take a moment to reflect on how important each person in your family is to you. Family members don’t always get along – step or otherwise – but the important thing is to work together and build loving relationships with the people who share your lives.
At PeopleFinders we encourage and respect families of every kind. If you have a family member that you’ve lost touch with, biological, step or otherwise, we are here to help you find people and reconnect. Take a moment to celebrate your extended family on September 16, and thank you for reading the PeopleFinders People Search blog.
Tags: Blended family, Christy Borgeld, Extended Family, family, National Stepfamily Day, People, Stepchildren, Stepfather, Stepmother, Stepparent
