Blended families: A recipe for academic distress

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Hey, kids: Hate your half- or stepsibling? Sure you do. Well, here’s something to like: You can now blame them for your lousy grades and trouble at school.

A Florida State University researcher has found that teenagers living with half- or stepsiblings have worse grades and more academic behavior problems than those living with full siblings. Such a home life is apparently harder for boys than for girls. Their GPAs are a quarter of a letter grade lower than their counterparts living with full siblings. But both boys and girls in blended families have more difficulty paying attention, finishing their homework and getting along well with teachers and students.

It’s a complex issue, of course, with multiple factors affecting the behavior of all involved - stress, conflict, ambiguous family roles, competition for parental attention, etc. And get this: The school-performance situation doesn’t generally improve over time.

But on the bright side, help is out there. Check out the the National Stepfamily Resource Center, the Stepfamily Network, some very practical advice at Step Family Tips ... and last (and definitely least), the lyrics to ‘The Brady Bunch,’ which the Florida State University news release describes as somewhat unrealistic. Perhaps not. But take hope and inspiration where you can get it, I say.

- Tami Dennis