If you’ve ever been to a foreign country you know just what I mean.
Have you ever been an outsider? In a biological family everyone is an “insider” with the privileges of being part of the family, and children naturally respect their parent’s authority and trust them. In a blended family, someone is an outsider. Stepsiblings are outsiders to each other, and stepparents are outsiders to their children. This makes the stepparent’s authority easily challenged. To become a healthy blended family merge outsiders with insiders. The more you know, the better you love.