This guide takes the reader or the read-to on a journey through the definition of a stepfamily to numerous questions which they may wish to ask.
The booklet attempts to normalise stepfamilies by identifying some from fiction and fact. Did you know, for example, that Abraham Lincoln had a stepmother?
There are different types of step family, divorced and remarried; same gender; widowed and remarried; the list goes on. There is acknowledgement that there may be more than one aspect to a step family. The original extended family may wish to maintain contact. The new family may have its own extended relationships. The booklet identifies and accepts that sometimes having a new adult in the family is not easy and it takes time to work things through.
Adoption within a stepfamily means that the new parent wishes to taken on the responsibilities usually afforded to the birth parent, including being financially willing to support the child as well as take a key role in their upbringing.
I like the fact that the booklet does not try to make the new parent the main figure in the child’s life especially where they may also still have their birth parent. It is a sympathetic and effective read for children and parents facing this situation.
Francis, Jo (2010) Stepfamily Adoption: What it is and what it means – a guide for children and young people
BAAF Adoption and Fostering
ISBN: 9781905664948