A 17 year old boy said, “they have a responsibility to develop the relationship after they know the relationship with the parent is going to go somewhere”.
In essence, he is asking that the new partner not commit to building a relationship with him until he is sure he is going to be sticking around for a while. 7: Don’t discount the previous marriage - Several kids commented on the fact that the immediate replacement of a partner by one of their parents made them feel that their parent’s marriage didn’t mean anything.
5: Your children still need you - Remember that children of divorced parents have felt the sense of loss in a big way.
I interviewed several children of divorced parents and they, without hesitation, had some things to say.
Teens are not interested in the new partner giving parenting advice unless they are solicited.
New partners need to learn to ask questions, show interest in the things they do but don’t give advice.
They were certainly not comfortable when the parent compared the new partner with their divorced spouse.
Be careful of the message you send when you bring a new partner in too quickly and denounce your previous marriage; it sends mixed messages to your already confused children.