How do you define a blended family?

November 8, 5:20 AMPhoenix Blended Families ExaminerBrigitte Wangberg

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Can you define a blended family?
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The structure of family systems has changed. Today, the intact nuclear family is hardly "typical." By 2010, the blended family will be the predominant form of family in the United States. According to the ABFA , there are currently  23+ million  blended families in the United States. Clearly, it is time to redefine our families and our attitudes.

How do you define a blended family?

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines a blended family as, "a family that includes children of a previous marriage of one spouse or both."

Regardless, of the obvious imprudence of this definition, I am uncomfortable with attaching a definition to any family. A blended family appears impracticable to define. To begin to understand the challenge of defining a blended family, we must take into account all of the possible variables.

Think of the "couple" possibilities:

• Two divorced parents
• A single partner and a divorced parent
• Widow /widower and a divorced parent
• A widow and a widower
• Widow /widower and a single partner
• One adoptive parent and one biological parent
• Two adoptive parents
• Two grandparents

Other factors must be considered when describing the parental unit, including different cultures, religions, and ages. Furthermore, families are shaped by  GLBT  issues (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual), mental illness, physical disability, or life changing medical conditions.

Add children to the above variances:

• One partner has children
• Both partners have children

Add children together:

• Partners have biological children together to add to above children
• Partners adopt one or more children together

The above parent/children combinations are by no means complete. The possibilities are boundless when describing family members of a blended family. Ahrons and Rodgers explain, "A major task for divorced and remarried families is the construction of new models of "family" in a society that continues to define the intact nuclear family as the norm." A blended family has obvious challenges to face within the home and society. However, each distinctive family has copious stories, experiences and flavor. This richness is the gift of a blended family.