Remarriage and Step Families

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Chapter 13 discusses a topic that in today’s society is very prevalent; remarried families. Some people divorce and never marry again. Some casually date without their children involved and there are some that remarry. For those that choose to remarry there is a lot to consider when children have to be shared between two households with a new parental figure involved. I feel that remarriage and remarried families is a touchy subject. When children are involved in these situations it makes it even more difficult. I have a few friends that have step parents and it can cause problems even at an adult age. In my experience it is usually easier with smaller children that can grow up around the step parent. Remarriage with older children can go both ways, depending on the age they may see the step parent as another authoritative figure while other children may not really have an opinion. Many times it’s not the children that have the issue with the step parent; it’s the biological parent that that lives with the child. I feel that when children are involved, the biological parents as well as the stepparents should come to a decision about the welfare of the children. Every situation is different therefore I feel the government can't create a law that would be suitable. A lot of children resent their step parents and this also makes the situation all the more problematic. Lots of step parents have issues with how to discipline or even if to discipline at all. I feel that if my ex-spouse remarried, I would want the new wife to treat my child just as I would. If he or she needed to be chastised then it would be her responsibility to do it. If I were a step parent I would expect the parents to be completely okay with me treating the child in the same manner that they would. A lot of the confusion comes into play because the adults aren't on the same page. When children see
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