Have you ever noticed how difficult it can be to be a blended family and deal with school activities, issues and conferences? Which parent attends what, and who isn’t involved? And how do you decide something like that anyway?
First of all, all parents that wish to attend any event, conference or other school related activity, should be invited. Period. There shouldn’t be any rules set as to who can be at a school activity unless it’s something like a “mother/daughter lunch” or “father/son game”. And of course, the other thing you have to deal with in those situations is the whole – father or step-father?
In these situations it really depends on your family and how it works. For instance, if the biological parent lives out of state or has a prior engagement than it would be perfectly reasonable that the step-parent would attend the event.
In the same token, it should also be assumed that the first person that would be invited would be the actual biological parent. Are there rules? No. There are not actually some governed set of rules to abide by, but it is common courtesy, especially in a case where the child’s biological parent lives near enough to attend that they be the ones invited.
There are of course special circumstances in every family and each families personal experience is going to somehow dictate how that all works, but regardless of any situation, it really is tactful to follow the biological parent is asked first.
In the case of conferences, this should also be both biological parents, except in the case of the family where the child resides. It is perfectly reasonable to expect the step-parent to attend the child’s conference, and should actually be encouraged.
How does your family deal with these special circumstances?
Nicole Humphrey writes about the creative and memory preserving side of life and families in the Scrapbooking Blog and Fun Blog, provides helpful hints to blended families and single parents on the Parents Blog, and provides informative tips and advice for students, teachers and parents on the Education Blog. She also guest blogs on a variety of topics. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
Related Articles:
Birth Order and the Blended Family
Step Mothers and Biological Mothers in the Blended Family
Scheduling Conflicts in a Blended Family