Is a stepparent always obliged to treat their own kids and their stepkids exactly the same?

We have all heard the horror stories about horrible stepmoms and dads who do not seem to take their duties towards their stepchildren seriously and show obvious preferential treatment that doesn’t go in their favor. They want the benefits of marrying their parent, but they find it inconvenient to deal with the kids that come as a part of the package.

No doubt about it, blended families can go very wrong unless everyone involved is invested in making them work and prioritizing the needs of all kids as best they can. The biggest responsibility falls on any parental figures and how they try to bring everybody together. It can be difficult enough treating children equally when they all come from the same parents, so adding stepkids into the mix only adds to the challenge. 

One of the most important parts of managing this issue is having a supportive partner. They should not only want what is best for their children, but also make sure that it works with who they are married to. If this balance can’t be struck, then more issues are going to appear.