Types of Blended Families
The changing description of a typical family affects the blended family as we know it.
More types of families fall into the category of "blended families" than ever before.
The face of the average family has changed over the last few decades. So much so that adjectives describing the word “family” bear additional meaning then they have in the past. The term “blended family” is no exception. In previous years a blended family was comprised of two adults and included children from one or both parties conceived in previous relationships.
Currently the picture of a “typical” family is varied so that the term “blended family” can refer to many situations. Today the face of a blended family includes: multicultural families, households with a combination of biological and adopted children, foster children, step children and ½ siblings. Children who are being raised by family members other than their parents and non-traditional families may also fall into the spectrum of a “blended family”.
Blended families come in many different sizes. They can be very small, with only one child and one parent, or very large with two parents and many children. Some of the challenges and joys of parenting in a blended household are common no matter what the size of the family. Other issues may be unique to the number of people residing in the home.
No matter how your family is “blended” the goal of parenting to the best of one’s ability remains the same. Families today are more the same than they are different. The joys of achieving milestones and the challenges of undesirable behavior are common no matter what type of family you have. Achieving acceptance and a feeling of community in the home is almost always the desired outcome.
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