Are there any step family success stories?

[suzi-q]

Having read the step parents problems below and being in the situation myself. I'm wondering if there are any success stories where maybe after a rocky start families with teen or older children have managed to iron out the problems and forge good relationships?

It seems all doom and gloom at the moment and I can't see things improving any time soon.

[B00]

sorry ot hear you've got problems, God bless kids eh?

Mr Boo and I got together when my now eldest was 6 and she's now 18 (going on 9) and he's been brilliant with her, sometimes wayyyy more than me. We now have a daughter together but he has always refered to them both as "my (his) daughters"

Not read anything about your situation so can't really comment but I do know that kids, regardless of them being fully yours or stepkids, are exceptional at pushing ya buttons!

[suzi-q]

I have an idea, maybe wrongly, that the younger the child is, the easier he/she will accept a new stepparent and maybe the easier it will be for the stepparent too. They have more chance of bringing some of their own ways, ideas to the child's life.

My 2 boys were 16 and 12 when we got together and having been through big struggles with the older one which is just starting to calm down and even out, now its all starting with the younger. Im sure he would have gone through this stage anyway, but its so much harder when there are these new/fragile relationships between child and stepparent involved.

[noxlumos]

My blessed Angel wife took me on with all my sons ranging in age at that point from about 12 downwards and I took on her son who was 13. Huge adjustments for everyone, but we always respected each other, communicated, didn't get our hair off, and if there was a big problem about anything we adopted a "talking stick" method whereby only one person speaks at a time so everyone is 100% heard out ( people are usually reasonable if they think you are listening to them).We also kept a united front no matter what. We have since had our 8 year old daughter, have had an ex's 3 year old son come to live with us and now have a baby girl as well whose nearly 7 months old.Teenagers are horrible creatures (lol) and they have a hard time round that age dealing with themselves. Keep a clam head, respect them even when they don't respect you, lead by example and all will be fine ( eventually).

[chitchat]

Mr Chitchat came into our lives when the children where 8 and 10. They are now 13 and 12 and they both love him - especially my son - who has always been close to me. He follows him around like his shadow at times. He is much stricter than I am and it is hard to watch at times. But they love and they respect him. He gets no nonense of them but they still play me up. My husband loves the children and he considers them as his children. My daughter is a typical teenager and she's hard work at the best of times but all in all we are a happy family who love each. I sometimes wonder if a lot of it is just pure luck that we all get on. I dont know how I would have coped if the children and him had disliked each other.

[hellywellywo]

Mr Hellywellywo and I got together when my daughter ( only child at the time) was just turning four, I felt we were very lucky because they loved each other from the first they met, that is not to say that we haven't had some ups and downs. Meg did have a problem with another authority figure in the house, but once she realised that this was a good thing she settled down and really enjoys having her daddy around and these days a 3yr old brother to boss around.