Single parents and "blended" families

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HI2ALjJaXQ

The high divorce rate has led to an equally high rate of remarriage. Divorce is difficult for all children, and the stress a child can experience when a parent remarries can be even more so. Stepparents, stepsiblings, half-brothers and sisters, shared custody, and the complications surrounding these relationships all have become a way of life for many Americans. Men are more likely than women to remarry, and  thus many children find themselves shuttling back and forth between  life with father, stepmother, and half- brothers and -sisters one week, and life with a single working mom the next week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufr9SYbmD94

Managing these extended relationships is proving to be one of the most vexing social problems for millions of Americans, especially for the children. As you and your children make new friends, these “extended” family demands will add to the complexity of the social life you yourself experience. When scheduling things like carpools to work, daycare, or taking the kids to and from soccer practice, you will soon find that schedules from blended families are complicated indeed. For example, instead of being able to plan on someone every Thursday, you may find that he or she is available on lternate Thursdays only. And as you get to know the parents of your children’s friends, you will likely find that you have to do every-thing twice for some of them — once for the father and his wife, and again for the mother and her new husband!

('Living in the USA' ALISON R. LANIER )

Some advices for single parents:
www.videojug.com/interview/single-parent-basics-2