ly important that adults ensure a gradual adjustment environment for children. Children are often strongly linked biologically and psychologically to the missing parent. As associate professor of human development and family studies at Indiana University Robert Billingham argues, “Children have many issues to deal with after the loss of a parent, and the introduction of another adult into that role before the children can deal with their issues forces them to either resist the new person or repress their issues” (Blended 2003, 6).
Many experts argue that one of the best methods of getting the potential benefits out of stepfamilies is for members of stepfamilies to speak with marriage and family counselors prior to blending their families. This is not for therapeutic purposes but for family members to become educa
...