FamilyLife Blended®

When a parent dies who can best fill the gap for a child?

In my experience most stepparents have a really big heart. They want to step into the physical gaps that exist in a child’s life after they lose a parent. In her book, Stepparenting the Grieving Child, author Diane Fromme suggests this desire may be misguided. Children are more naturally drawn to their other biological kin—like a grandparent or uncle. A stepparent can provide new things, like a friendship, but there’s something about extended family that is better able to “fill the gaps.”