Growing Up In A Blended Family

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Children of Divorce Michael LaBarge DeVry University Children of Divorce According to Elizabeth Osmer’s biography (n.d.), growing up in a dysfunctional family, she was forced to take care of herself due to the fact that the adults in her family did not have the parenting skills needed to take care of her. Because she did not have the proper adult guidance and supervision in her childhood, she grew through adolescence and into adulthood lacking the life skills needed to be a healthy, productive member of society. This led her down a path of constant self-destruction. For many years she spiraled out of control. Trying to cope with the life she was in, she used what few skills she had acquired to manage her life. She became involved…show more content…
Emotional endurance, while easier for older children to grasp, is a trait that can be learned by everyone involved. Just as children learn that eventually school will be over and summer will come, they will learn to understand and accept that the hurt and confusion that comes with divorce will not last forever and things will get better. A blended family can help to speed this process by putting the children back into a functional, loving two-parent family. Adaptability, flexibility, and creativity are also skills that can be learned by children of blended families. These skills will be very useful as children grow and develop in their personal and professional lives. Through divorce and a blended family, children can learn to be more self-reliant. Because of work schedules, school functions and extracurricular activities, parents my rely more on the children to take more responsibility for things around the house. There is also the potential to learn to do less with more. With prior financial obligations and the possibility of more children in the home, many blended families don’t have the financial freedom that a lot of natural families have. Because of this, children can learn to enjoy simpler things in life such as walks/playing in the park instead of going shopping at the mall. Another good skill that children can learn from being part of a blended family is to maximize available mentors. Children who…show more content…
(2008, Semptember 22). Academic success begins at home: How children can succeed in school. Retrieved from http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2008/09/academic-success-begins-at-home-how-children-can-succeed-in-school Fishman, A. (2012). Advice for stepparents: 7 ways to connect with stepkids. Parents. (the entire article is used, no page numbers available) Retrieved from http://www.parents.com/parenting/divorce/blended-families/advice-for-stepparents/ Osmer, E. (n.d.). Elizabeth osmer, cht. Retrieved from http://www.bethosmer.com/bio.html Potter, D. (2010). Psychosocial well-being and the relationship between divorce and children. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72(4), Retrieved from https://www.questia.com/read/1P3-2111895431/psychosocial-well-being-and-the-relationship-between Reagan-Porras, L. (2013, August 1). Blended family benefits. Portland Family Magazine, Retrieved from http://www.portlandfamily.com/posts/blended-family-benefits/ Santa Clara University Counseling Services. (1997). Dysfunctional family: Growing up in a dysfunctional family. Retrieved from

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