With divorce rates at about 50 percent and climbing, it isn’t really a shocker that one in three Americans are living the stepfamily and blended family experience. So, is this new family dynamic in America a good thing, a bad thing or something in between?

Statistically speaking, the key determination for the future of step-children is the relationship between their two families — biological mom and biological dad, each with their potential partner.

Only 30 percent of step-parents report a positive relationship with the biological parent on the other side within the first few years of building a blended family. On the flip side, only 5 percent of biological parents report a good relationship with the other parent's partner. This means the bio parent (dad or mom) tends to dislike the step-parent a whole lot more than the other way around. Perhaps you think they can dislike each other all they want, as long as they all care about the kids. Unfortunately, that isn't what the data show.

First, when both families are able to present a united front and engage in good communication, children feel significantly more secure. This includes having some of the same routines at both homes — i.e. bedtimes, homework time etc. This can increase the stability a child feels by 25 percent. Teachers can play a huge role in helping both families figure out........

© The Hill