Happy stepkids can become conflicted about their stepparents during adolescence

Many stepparents think they can exile absent, out-of-touch, disengaged bio-parents into a forgotten past, while their stepchildren often feel as if they have a hole in their heart where the real dad or mom ought to be. This sense of loss and possibly a loyalty bind (“If I love my stepparent, will I lose whatever shreds of my true father that remain to me?”) frequently lies dormant until the stepchild reaches adoles...