Do you love your new spouse, but hate their children from a previous relationship? This guide will explore when to leave because of stepchild problems.
A blended family dynamic can be difficult to handle at times, but this guide is packed with tips to help you thrive as a step-parent, as well as suggestions for when might be a good time to give up.
In my role as a life coach, I’m often helping clients learn how to build stronger relationships with those closest to them.
That’s why I’m keen to share this guide with you.
So, let’s dive in.
Do People Get Divorced Because Of Stepchildren?
It would be unfair to put all of the blame on step-children.
However, a step-child can put an added strain on a marriage, making it harder to get along and often more tempting to split up.
Recent data suggests that 41% of first marriages and 60% of second marriages result in divorce, but this rises to 70% when both spouses have children from a previous marriage.
It’s suggested that many of these parting couples underestimate how difficult it can be to settle into a blended family.
It’s not just the two spouses that have to get used to the new family dynamic, the children do as well.
Most kids really struggle to cope with their parents divorcing. When you throw a new step-parent and potential step-siblings into the mix too, there is likely to be some teething troubles.
Couples who want to have a great shot at making a blended family work should do their research to ensure they can make everyone feel happy and welcome.
Signs Of Toxic Stepchildren
It’s a bit harsh to call a step-child ‘toxic’, since most step-children struggle to cope with their parents’ divorce and the introduction of new step-parents. It’s not their fault.
Still, it’s considered ‘toxic’ when one person’s behavior is harming others around them – and that’s what a step-child often ends up doing.
A common sign of a toxic step-child is deliberate misbehaving around a step-parent. Even worse is when a step-child refuses to listen to the advice or commands of a step-parent.
A toxic step-child may deliberately make life harder for a step-child or their step-siblings. They might even try to turn their own biological mother or father against their new wife or husband.
If a step-child engages in any behavior like this, it’s important you work as a team with their biological parent to address it.
A step-child usually lashes out because they’re frustrated with the new family dynamics. You’ll usually see an improvement in their behavior by addressing these frustrations and building a better relationship, rather than straight-up punishing them.
Indeed, when the step-child begins to feel more happy and comfortable with their home life, you’ll usually find their behavior improves.
I Want To Leave My Husband Because Of His Daughter
Whether you’re dealing with an unruly step-daughter or a toxic step-son, I’d urge you to give it time before calling it quits on the marriage.
Many step-parents are far too quick to abandon a family life that could be saved if both parents are willing to put the work in.
My guide on Ways To Deal With Toxic Stepchildren will provide some useful initial guidance.
If things are getting too tough, perhaps you can call on a family therapist for assistance.
Step-children are always going through different phases in life and many struggle to deal with other family members appearing out of seemingly nowhere.
However, these difficult moments can improve and these children learn to love their new family with time.
Grown Stepchildren And Marriage
While this guide will primarily focus on stepchildren still under the care of their parents, it is possible that an adult stepchild can cause hassle in your relationship too. While building a healthy relationship with them is always the best Plan A, you might want to consider distancing yourself from an adult stepchild who doesn’t want to be your friend.
Distancing Yourself From Stepchildren
Distancing yourself from adult stepchildren might be the best compromise for all parties. If the step-child doesn’t like the step-parent, they can simply avoid each other. Hopefully, this prevents a potential conflict doing serious damage to your marriage.
When Should You Leave For Stepchildren?
The sad truth is: step-children can often make a marriage unbearable for a step-parent to the point where breaking up would seemingly be the only option. As much as you may want to save your marriage, below you’ll find 12 examples of when to leave because of stepchild problems.
1. The Biological Parent Makes No Effort To Improve Family Life
Improving the behavior of a toxic step-child should be a team effort. If your partner makes no effort to improve the behavior of their own child, it’s unlikely that behavior will ever change. Most kids will only listen to their real mom and dad when it comes to changing the way they act.
In many cases, disciplining the child that isn’t yours will only cause more conflict in your relationship. It’s normal to feel unimportant in a relationship like this. That’s going to harm your mental health and it’s no way to feel in your own home. If it feels like this will never change, the only solid plan you’ll have left is to leave.
2. You And The Biological Parent Won’t Compromise
You and your partner should always seek to compromise when it comes to co-parenting and setting household rules. If your partner refuses to compromise over these things and you’re unable to set the rules in your own home, that’s a good sign that this relationship is unlikely to work.
3. You Can’t Or Won’t Get To The Root Of The Step-Child’s Behavior
If issues arise between you and a step-child, the only place to start is to find out what’s really making them misbehave so badly. It will usually require the biological parent to discover this and you might even need family therapy. By fixing the root of the problem, you’ll fix the child’s behavior.
If your partner can’t or won’t explore the behavior of her own kid, things are unlikely to change so this might be a good time to leave the relationship.
4. The Step-Child Is Turning Your Partner Against You
A parent and child will always be a package deal until that kid grows up. Most parents are going to put their biological child first in any conflict. As the ‘other parent’, you’ll need to find a way to deal with that.
However, if this kid is successfully persuading his parents that you’re a bad person, that’s a good reason to leave the relationship.
Your partner should be wise enough to develop their own feelings about you rather than being unfairly influenced by a child.
5. The Step-Child Lies About You And The Parent Believes It
If a step-child is telling lies to his real parents, this is a real problem, especially if your partner doesn’t give you a fair trial before believing you’re the bad guy. It’s a slippery slope, which could be really harmful for your well-being. What if this child accuses you of physical abuse?
6. Your Step-Child Makes You Feel Unsafe
Do you feel like this step-child is capable of putting you in physical danger? That’s a red flag, which might make anyone consider leaving a relationship, especially if the partner was doing nothing to fix the situation.
7. Your Own Child Is Miserable In The Family
As a parent, you probably feel inclined to put your children ahead of your own emotions. So, if a step-sibling is making your children’s life miserable and nothing is being done to prevent this, it might be in everyone’s best interests for you to leave.
8. You Can’t Stand To Be Around Your Partner’s Ex
If their child is part of your family, then your partner’s ex-wife or ex-husband is always going to be lurking around. If you can’t learn to handle that, this might be a sign that you need to leave.
9. The Love Is Fading In Your Relationship
The love for two partners can fade once they’re in a blended family. This can happen due to a lack of alone time, or that you’re put off by the way they parent. If the stress of having to co-parent each other’s kids leads to constant fighting, that can make the love fade too.
Anyway, if you’re failing to make any progress as far as improving your relationship, even after taking steps like family counseling, this might be your cue to leave the relationship.
10. You Have No Desire To Be In This Child’s Life
Some step-parents are happy to ‘put up’ with step-kids if it means they get to marry their true love.
If you feel unwilling to even tolerate the children in your family to make your relationship work, it’s time to leave.
11. You’re Developing Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
If being in this family is driving you to unhealthy addictions, that’s really not a good sign.
Your first step to your healing process should always be to get clean of these coping mechanisms.
If you’re unable to do this without leaving the relationship, it’s probably best for everyone that you leave.
12. It’s Been Two Years And There’s No Sign Of Change
Improvements to your family situation aren’t always going to happen overnight. It can take a while for kids to adapt to a new family dynamic. Hopefully, you’ll begin to see signs of gelling early on in your marriage.
However, if you’ve been stuck in a hellish situation for several years and there’s no sign of anything changing, it’s time to get out.
Both you and your partner should be working on making things better for everyone. If that’s not happening, the chances of things improving are slim to none.
Related Content: Insights – When To Leave A Blended Family
Frequently Asked Questions
Let’s round off this guide with the answers to some frequently asked questions about step-parents and step-children
What Is Stepchild Syndrome?
Stepchild syndrome – often known as mini wife syndrome – is when a stepchild takes on a parenting role for their siblings after one of their biological parents leave.
Typically, this is the oldest sibling and it’s often done in an attempt to undermine a step-parent.
The key to handling this is to lovingly address the concerns of the step-child, while reminding who makes the rules in the family.
What Percentage Of Blended Families End In Divorce?
A notable recent poll suggested that 60% of second marriages end in divorce, rising to 70% when both spouses have children from previous relationships.
How Do You Break Up A Blended Family?
Once you’ve decided to leave a blended family, you should still treat the situation sensitively.
At the very least, make sure to let your own children down gently and assure them it wasn’t their fault. You don’t necessarily owe your kids an explanation of what went wrong, or that it was step-child problems that made your life miserable.
Paint a clear picture of what their life will look like after the divorce. Perhaps they’ll be as happy to be free from the bad stepchild as you are.
Any More Questions About When To Leave Because Of Stepchild Problems?
Thanks for reading my relationship guide on when to leave because of stepchild problems.
Many parents find that kids make their relationship harder, whether it’s their biological children or a step-child’s failure to adapt to a new family.
A lot of them get through these problems. Hopefully, you now have a clearer idea on whether or not to keep fighting for your marriage.
If you have a question about being a step-mom or step-dad, feel free to ask me in the comments section below.
It would be great to hear from you.
