At that moment, I ignored every warning that Bill had issued about the downfall of stepfamilies. He was a psychologist who specialized in family therapy, and because he worried constantly about the potential for catastrophe, he cautioned me daily about the major pitfalls that threaten families such as ours.

Stepfamilies are the hardest thing in the world, he liked to say. When there's a crisis, blood-based alliances will pit the family members against each other. Try to resist those alliances.

Please try.