GoMom

Just because your new husband isn't your child's biological father doesn't mean he's going to slack off when it comes to parenting. Maybe it's cause you gotta be a mensch to take on the role of stepdaddy, but a new study has shown that married "social fathers" do just as good of a job at parenting as biological fathers. In fact, the remarried mothers reported more
cooperation from their men than the mothers who were still with their baby daddies. The guy who scientists say does the least? Your live-in boyfriend. Sure, he helps out with the rent, but make sure he doesn't get you pregnant.

My husband and I have six kids between us, three his, three mine. His are older, and are all moved out now, though his youngest son has one more year of high school and left our household on fairly rocky terms (our rules are too strict, his mom gives him more freedom, etc.). I would say that though we survived the most intense years of having all these kids together under one roof,  and there WAS a lot of love in between the shouting, co-parenting six kids in a household that blended two very distinct sets of ideas about parenting and family life was not easy, and it definitely challenged our sense of ourselves as a couple. I know looking back that it's easy to tick off at least ten ways we could have done things immeasurably better. Shouldn't there be a VERY EASY TO USE and highly realistic guide out there, with the most important advice for stepfamilies? Is there one already?