Blended families are common. Here are tips to help stepsiblings get along
The Science of Siblings is a new series exploring the ways our siblings can influence us, from our money and our mental health all the way down to our very molecules. We'll be sharing these stories over the next several weeks.
Stepsiblings get a distorted rap in popular culture. On the one hand, you've got Cinderella and her evil stepsisters. On the other, there's The Brady Bunch, where six stepsiblings get along almost ridiculously well.
"The Brady Bunch did not help us when it comes to what to do in stepfamilies. It really didn't," says Caroline Sanner, an assistant professor of family science at Virginia Tech who studies stepfamily relationships.
"It sets a lot of folks up for disappointment at best," she says.
Sanner and other researchers say that since The Brady Bunch aired in the 1970s, they've learned a lot about what works and what doesn't work to help stepsiblings get along. And while some of their advice might seem obvious, the rest might surprise you. Here are a few of their research-backed tips.
