Stay Calm Don't Panic

What’s it like blending families with teenagers? Creating a blended families with teenagers, or kids of any age, is not for the faint of heart. And yet, many parents are blending families with teens, co-parents, step-parents, and all kids of siblings. In Support Groups, we often see teens who have been through divorces and remarriages and have siblings from multiple marriages. Blended families have rapidly moved from being a marginalized family type to being the typical one. We can only assume that the current trend is higher, but, in 2015, 40% of American families were blended. According to Forbes, the current divorce rate in the United States hovers just below 50%, but only for first marriages. For second marriages, that number increases to 67% and nearly 3 out of 4 third marriages fail. Of those new marriages, 40% included people who are remarrying. Scott and Vanessa Martindale know first-hand how long the road can seem when navigating blending a family with a teen. And how lonely it can be. Vanessa no