This week in class we talked about how families can be affected by step-parents or even situations dealing with adoption. It was interesting to hear the different views people especially children can have towards having a step parent or being adopted.
First of all, typically whenever I have thought of a step-parent I have thought of how they are portrayed in movies like Cinderella. I would think of someone coming into a family's life and just completely taking charge, even though I did know this wasn't realistic. In class though, I learned of different approaches a step-parent might take when trying blend with a new family or trying to blend two different families. Ways such as taking the buddy-buddy approach where they just try to be friends with their step-kids or other times coming into a new family and full on trying to discipline the children before they have fully been able to get to know them and become comfortable with them. Both of these approaches don't tend to work. It's when they meet in the middle that it offers better results for both families. The coolest thing, I think, to hear about though was when two different families were still able to come together and become one family unit instead of two separate ones. It is always amazing to see two families become one because they are willing to work together, compromise, and make an effort into making something work they didn't ever think would.
