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36 Fam. Advoc. 4 (2013-2014)
How Children Experience the Blended Family

handle is hein.journals/famadv36 and id is 10 raw text is: By JONATHAN W. GOULD, NICKI BETH FISHER, & DROR BIKEL significant number of divorced couples remarry, and an increasing number of blended families live together. Approximately 20 percent of children younger than 18 years old will reside in stepparent households. Despite the appealing notion of an ideal way in which to create a successful blended family, research shows that the blending of families occurs in a variety of different ways. 4 FAMILY ADVOCATE www.ambar.org/clientmanual Social scientists have investigated how blended families come together to function as one family. Studies show that American families blend using at least five different paths. The accelerated path is characterized by stepparents clearly assuming parental roles and by children's evolving view that they are related to each other as siblings. The prolonged path is characterized by a functional family that has low levels of familial solidarity. The declining path is characterized by an initial belief that the blended family is perfect, followed by the realization that family members feel disillusioned and distraught. The stagnating path is characterized by fluctuating expectations within the family and a lack of clarity about role boundaries. The high-amplitude turbulent path is character- ized by significant difficulty among family members in accepting new family roles and expectations.