ABSTRACT
CHARLES B. HENNON, BRUNO HILDENBRAND AND ANDREA SCHEDLE
The stepfamily is not a variant form of the so-called normal nuclear family but is a distinct family form.1 Recognizing and accepting this is vital to making stepfamilies peaceful settings for children to grow up. Scholars have reached this conclusion only after a long and problematic intellectual journey (Ganong & Coleman, 2004; Levin & Sussman, 1997; Théry, 1998). The lack of recognized role models for the stepfamily is lamented in the literature. Myths about the stepfamily continue to hold sway. These myths include the following (Ganong & Coleman, 2004; Rutter, 1994):
The stepmother is mean, manipulative and jealous. The stepfather is sexually suspect and a potential molester. The ex-wife plays the victim, is out for revenge and meddles in the affairs of the new family. The ex-husband is withdrawn, inept and absent. The children suffer from pathologies and development shortfalls and are pests who wreck their parents’ lives.
