Stepfamilies in the United States

Introduction: The Miller family is a blended family attends a step family support group to help them deal with the challenges of remarriage. There are unique issues faced by step families. For example, when deciding where to live following the remarriage, Mary's children felt that it was unfair that they had to be dislocated and moved into John Miller's home. John Miller's children felt that virtual strangers were trespassing on their personal living space when Mary's children moved. New arrangements had to be made about how the physical space would be reallocated to accommodate the new step-siblings which resulted in anger and resentment.

To address this common but significant problem, one of the recommendations of the blended family support group involved purchasing a new home. This new home would be neutral territory and would provide a fresh start for everyone. The cost of selling one or both of the spouse's old homes and purchasing a new home for the new blended family could be substantial, but the benefits of doing so may be worth the price.

Not unexpectedly, in the Miller household there were rivalries between and among the new siblings. A new dynamic of sexual tension was created with the introduction into John Miller's home of two post-pubescent siblings of different gender. There were also rivalries and disputes about seemingly trivial things such as how to spend holidays, and which family traditions would be maintained and which new traditi

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