Page 36 - Inspire Health November/December 2016
P. 36
Holiday family matters
split blended families
must embrace
planning to
decision ensure HOlidays
are happy for all
By Patrick O’Donnell
The facts and figures — garnered
from Census reports, the Meanwhile, we often forget about the And if that wasn’t enough pressure
Pew Research Center and the people caught in the middle: our children. already, here come the holidays.
American Psychological Association — are The Census Bureau estimates 50 percent
alarming: 40 to 50 percent of married of children now live in families where “Holidays can be big reminders of family
couples divorce. To make matters worse, there’s a step-relationship, and that 1,300 changes,” says Michael Ramsey, a program
among those who marry a second time, new stepfamilies form daily. Of those, supervisor and licensed professional
between 60 and 70 percent end up “Sixty-five percent of blended families counselor at Valley Youth House in
divorcing. The divorce rate climbs even divorce,” says Lenore Stine, a licensed Bethlehem. “We’re kind of trained that
higher — 73 percent — for third marriages. professional counselor and president of holidays are family time, and now the
Lehigh Valley Counseling in Bethlehem. definition of family has changed. Sometimes
that can be a great thing, and sometimes that
36 INSPIRE HEALTH NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2016
