Boundaries are important in blended families.

When people break up, pursue new relationships, and have children with different partners, there is a lot of potential for the family dynamics to become extra complicated. It can be difficult enough to keep the peace in a typical two-parent family with 2.3 kids, so when things get more elaborate than that, organization and clear communication are more important than ever.

Unfortunately, things do not work out like that for many people in these situations. When the needs of so many have to be taken into consideration, and not everybody is always on good terms with one another, disagreements can quickly arise. 

It is common for the topic of childcare to be particularly controversial. Who takes the kids and when often ends up being a way to air out other resentments, or is used in a way that does not benefit any of the children involved.