Source: James C. Dobson, Ph.D

Blended families can face special challenges. But there is a more serious problem that can develop. It concerns the way the new husband and wife feel about their kids. Each is irrationally committed to his or her own flesh and blood, while they're merely acquainted with the others. When fights and insults occur between the two sets of children, they are almost always partial to those they brought into the world. The natural tendency is to let the blended family dissolve into armed camps, us against them. If the kids sense this tension between the parents, they will exploit it to gain power over their siblings.

Some terrible battles can occur unless there are some ways to ventilate these feelings. Given the challenges, it is apparent why the probabilities of second and third marriages being successful are considerably lower than the first. It is possible to blend families successfully, and millions of people have done it. But the task is difficult, and you may need some help in pulling it off.

That's why I strongly suggest that those planning to remarry seek

professional counseling as early as possible. It is expensive, but another divorce is even more costly.