Blend, but Don’t Break: A Planning Guide for Blending New Step-families

Forming a blended step-family after divorce is exciting and rewarding, yet often filled with many unforeseen challenges and complexity. This book provides a simple-to-follow planning process for two partners contemplating moving in together with children from a prior relationship. First, it will guide you through a series of questions to help you define where you each stand on common blended family topics. Next, it will help each partner assess your level of proficiency with the most common skills required in a successful blended family. Finally, it will help you declare your action plans and commitment to close your alignment gaps and/or develop your skills. Bend, but don’t break is a common saying in American football when referring to a defense that gives a little yardage, but doesn’t allow the other team to score. This ultimately allows the team to win the game. If new partners planning to create a step-family plan, align and bend a little, you will be prepared to blend, but don’t break.