"Blended" families face obstacles.

• Position: Your Life - Family therapy important in learning how to deal with problems - Brief Article

Two common mistakes can prevent success in blended families, argues Robert Billingham, associate professor of human development and family studies at Indiana University, Bloomington. The first is remarrying too soon after a death or divorce, and the second is trying to move the new spouse into the role of father or mother.

"Children have many issues to deal with after the loss of a parent, and the introduction of another adult into that role before the children can deal with their issues forces [them] to either resist the new person or repress their issues," explains Billingham. "What people must remember is that the new spouse is not the child's father or mother, They are the parent's spouse. Often, the new parson tries to become the child's father or mother, and this frequently has disastrous results."

When blended families fail, he indicates, the offspring...