The Brady Bunch is one of the best-known blended families to appear on television, and one of the first blended families to be portrayed in the media. The show featured a woman with three daughters who married a man with three sons, creating a family of eight. The stepsiblings had days when they got along well with one another and days when they couldn't stand each other. This is what you can expect from your own blended family.

Blended families may include families with a stepparent, stepsiblings, half-siblings, or a combination of all of these. In some cases, stepsiblings will live together most of the time; in others, one may live in the home while one lives with another parent. Some may never live together at all.

Blended Bonding

There are so many types of families now that it is not surprising to hear about a stepsibling or half-sibling. Blending families does not mean these children will all create sibling-like bonds. They may instead create a new type of bond that is exclusive to their relationship. This is one of the main reasons it is important not to force the relationship, but to let it develop on its own. If you force the relationship you think the children should have with one another, you may impose your own thoughts on how that relationship should be instead of letting it develop naturally. Blended family members develop different types of bonds with one another, which may seem like parenting, sibling, friendship, or even mentoring roles. The roles played in blended families are unique to each family.

The word “blended” suggests that everything combines together at the same consistency and without too many lumps. Blended families, however, are not made up of people who are the same consistency, and there will be plenty of lumps and bumps. Everyone is coming into the family with a different history, a different temperament, and a different attitude about becoming part of a blended family. Whatever happened to cause the blended family may have had a different impact on everyone, and no one will handle the disruption of the original family the same. Some members will go with the flow, while others will fight every step of the way. Don't expect your family to blend together perfectly. You and your partner will be integral to a successful blending of family members. Remaining patient, open-minded, and fair, and communicating constantly about your own relationships with each other and the other family members will help the two of you lead the other family members toward harmony.