The blending of families is almost never smooth and easy, despite our best hopes and intentions. The complexity of relationships and the realities of personalities blending in new homes is likely to result in difficulty of one kind or another. Of course, many thousands of people in the United States alone blend their families each year, and it is certainly possible for the blending to result in success. But achieving success in the blending of families into stepfamilies is also quite likely to require hard work, patience, forgiveness, and a commitment to conflict resolution.
Families blend for as many reasons that there are families who are blending. But common to most, if not all, of them is that the blending is a result of previous trauma within the individual families, such as divorce or the death of a parent, followed by the hopeful approach to healing that is made when the blending process begins.
Setting Up Your Blended Family For A Healthy Start
Even the most mentally healthy and psychologically prepared individuals are likely to experience difficulty when blending families, and that is true even if such people have reached resolution over whatever caused the change to their families in the first place. Therefore, the decision to blend families is likely the result of adults finding the means to move on from that original trauma. When adults with children decide that they have reached a point when blending families is a good next step, they are likely determining that they have the means of doing so successfully. But when children are part of the mix, complications are sure to arise.
AMS Mediation has the experience and insight to assist you in this process. AMS Mediation is set up to deal with more than just divorce; the services provided cover the full range of family changes. Mediation is necessary not only when families are going through divorce, but when major changes are present. Blending families can be as difficult as divorce, in part because the hopes, promises, and expectations associated with coming together can prevent us from being realistic about how complex the blending process can be.
AMS Mediation Specializes In Developing Plans For Blending Families
But AMS Mediation is uniquely qualified to assist you as you forge ahead with plans to blend families. Step parents often expect, unrealistically, to automatically love their stepchildren. And everyone involved can be caught off guard by the sheer number of changes that occur when families blend together. An experienced service like that provided by Amber Serwat can help you prepare for what you cannot predict. Call 952.252.1492 for more information or to set up a time for a free consultation.
