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Views towards blended families have positively progressed with the times. Now more than ever, blended families have become quite common. Blended families have become so casually integrated in everyday life in general that collectively, we can go on to say that they have transcended their “alternative” stigma. This is especially prevalent in pop culture and entertainment, frontiers which build their respective empires on the idea that art imitates life. So much so, that it’s easy to make a reference on the subject something more modern than The Brady Bunch.

To recap, blended families are a result of a marriage or partnership in which each party introduces their children from prior relationships to establish a new household. As with all families, they also present their fair share of problems. We are lucky enough to live in a time when the stigma has dissipated for the most part; however, the challenges remain.

As one can imagine, the new connections to be made in a blended family are not exactly instant. There is a building process that requires lots of teaching, re-learning, and the utmost patience. By way of tradition and culture, blended families still defer to the structure of a traditional family for guidance. In theory, yes, it’s very simple to take a metaphorical template of a typical nuclear family, and make any tweaks as you go along. In practice, it can get complicated.

As common as blended families are, most members of a blended household (and laughably, a traditional one too) will thoroughly advocate that there is no rule book on how run a happy family. The only foolproof way to achieve this result is to build enough love and trust to last a lifetime.

As a firm that keeps up with the times, we make it our business to ensure that there are solutions available to you and your family, no matter what mold you fit in. Here is a quick look of the services we offer to assist you and yours:

1. Premarital Agreements – The former connotations of a prenup and quite possibly, even the word “prenup” as well, are less than a generation away from becoming antiquated reflections of a different time (unless used in a catchy hip-hop lyric a la Kanye West). Before your walk down the aisle, a premarital agreement can help reassess the parenting responsibilities of each party entering the marriage to minimize confusion down the road. After all, 18 years is a very long time to go without a plan in place.
2. Postnuptial Agreements – Just in case you, your sweetheart, and all the kids got too caught up in the wedding planning and missed the time frame to get an agreement in place, fear not — you can always talk to your attorney about having a postnup drafted, which will offer very similar benefits to its prenup counterpart.
3. Parenting Plans and Child Custody Agreements – Planning and preparation are the keys to a successful dynamic between blended families. Schedules get hectic, and it won’t be long until you confuse birthdays, ballet, and baseball. On top of all of that, your kids are young for only a limited amount of time. Divide that time by two different households, and both set of parents will agree right off the bat that there is very little to waste. Whether your situation is amicable or not, the effort to negotiate an agreement can be well worth the investment if it means that your children can enjoy every minute of their youth without the push and pull of conflict.
4. Adoptions and Guardianship – Let’s say that your bond with your blended children has evolved into this inexplicably beautiful relationship, and you choose to become a permanent part of their lives. Allow us to assist you in navigating the adoption process.

We are committed to assisting in the success of the blended family unit with our knowledge and expertise.