Reflecting the radical shift in the demographics of American families whereby the majority of marriages end in divorce and reconstituted families are becoming increasingly common, this chapter takes up the sub-optimally studied topic of step-fatherhood. It underscores the obstacles met with by fathers in raising stepchildren; the latter are often quite ambivalent about attaching themselves to a “new” father. Anger at the parental divorce and guilt at loving the stepfather come in their way. An additional complication is the “ghost” of the biological father that casts a perpetual shadow on the relationship between children and their stepfathers. Patience, compassion, and “survival” on the stepfather’s part can triumph over the difficulties and help the parent–child productively negotiate the unfolding developmental tasks of childhood and adolescence.
