THE FUSE

For stepparents, one of the most important things they can do is to build a positive connection with their stepchildren. A simple way to think of this is that stepparents need to do things to get stepchildren to like them early in the relationship and to continue doing those things (see First Steps for Stepparents). There are many ways that stepparents can positively bond with stepchildren through working. My focus as a family scientist has been to study how stepparents build rewarding relationships with stepchildren. In this and other blog posts, I share research-based findings about creating and maintaining satisfying and effective relationships in stepfamilies.