Are you an owner of your house or just a houseguest?
When people of many ethnicities gather in social situations the privilege class feels comfortable as “owners of the house” while minorities often feel like guests. But what’s best for everyone is for minorities to feel like “owners,” too. The same principle is true in stepfamilies. Unless the stepparent invites the biological parent to become a full-fledged member of the parenting team, they’re just a guest and unless extended family members welcome each other, they stay divided.