Trying to Build a Blended Family? Your FAQs Answered by Dr Connie Clark

Family life is both a wonderful and complex thing. We don’t get to choose the one we’re born into and, sometimes, we don’t get to decide when they breakdown in unexpected ways.

As much as we may like the ideal of a “tidy nuclear family”, life can throw us into a situation where we have to take the pieces of the family we once knew and combine it with a new one we’re trying to build.

In 2016, more than 10 per cent of Australian families had children growing up in a step or blended dynamic, meaning the parents of these households bring in children from previous relationships, and/or may have children of their own as well. This number has likely increased over the last six years, as traditional family make-ups continue to shift.

Dr Connie Clark has been practicing psychology for more than 30 years and, together with founder and chairman of America’s New Life Ministries Stephen Arterburn, has released a new book, Understanding and Loving Your Bonus Child – a guide to help non-biological parents connect with the children of their partner and, together, build a new unified family of their own.

On the UNDISTRACTED podcast, Connie spoke about how to successfully blend a family, ways to tackle the challenges step families face and God’s intention for family.

Listen to UNDISTRACTED with guest Connie Clark via the player above or wherever you get your podcasts.