Each year there are a million new stepchildren in America. There is no question that trying to blend broken families may possibly be the most serious and complex social and mental health crisis affecting children in the eighties. And, in spite of the comforting old view that children have a remarkable way of "bouncing back," evidence points to the fact that trauma and deep hurt are experienced by many stepchildren who may not recover for years. This book is the result of personal experience and has grown out of hundreds of counseling hours, on a professional level, with individuals who have in some way been associated with the severe problems found in most stepfamilies. We just want to deal with the stepfamily problems realistically and helpfully. We have to remember that, as a part of God's plan, it is not for us to judge but to minister to the hurting. - Preface.