https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-18/divorce-is-making-american-families-66-bigger By Ben Steverman
Thus far I have avoided that expansion. That is not true for my sons who have acquired, I use that term loosely, a bunch of new step-relatives.
That is a lot of families. The bonding may not work as the bonds are week and not necessarily supported by extended family.
I agree with the article that this certainly complicates relationships. I do not think this is a good thing for our society.
"The rise in divorce and remarriage is driving this growth in family size. Over the past two decades, the divorce rate has doubled for older Americans. Almost 30 percent of people over 50 had been married more than once, according to a recent study by scholars at Bowling Green State University. About 40 percent of older Americans with children are in stepfamilies, according to survey data.
“People in stepfamilies are often unsure of what their obligations are to their stepkin,” said Bowling Green sociology professor Karen Benjamin Guzzo. “It’s not uncommon for individuals to feel like they have to choose how to spread resources across their biological and step-relatives.”
"Couples with adult stepchildren are 11 percentage points less likely to give time to their children, and 13 points less likely to receive time from kids.
“The increased availability of kin does not fully compensate for the weaker bonds among family members in step families,” the paper concludes."
Reminder: Make good choices
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