National Stepfamily Day 2023: Date, History, Facts, Activities

National Stepfamily Day is annually observed on September 16. All types of families — tiny, large, biological, adoptive, and step — should be celebrated. In contrast to most other types of families, members of a blended family choose to unite. Whether it’s because of divorce, estrangement, death, or another reason, stepfamilies need to unify and rebuild their lives together, and that deserves recognition.

The background of National Stepfamily Day

Although love and appreciation are not limited to a single day, there is something special about setting aside time to celebrate on a specific day. Such holidays as Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Daughter’s Day, and Sibling’s Day have existed for a long time. However, blended families were unable to receive the merited recognition.

As the times changed and society grew more tolerant, concepts that were once considered nontraditional gained acceptance. As divorce and remarriage became more prevalent, stepfamilies also increased in frequency. Stepfamilies have been subjected to stigma and negative perceptions by society, in addition to the internal challenges of blended families. These families are expected to conform to negative roles propagated by film and television, which frequently makes it more difficult for them to succeed. Despite this social pressure, there are thousands of blended families that persevere and thrive for the sake of love and each other despite all obstacles.

Today, over 30 percent of the under-18 population in the United States resides in a stepfamily environment. Blended families are more prevalent than ever and merit a day of celebration and recognition. In 1997, motivated by this, stepparent Christy Tusing-Borgeld established National Stepfamily Day. Since then, she has dedicated September 16 of each year to stepfamilies across the nation, including her own.

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Activities for, Only and not

Spend time with one another

Use the day to spend quality time with your family doing the things you enjoy doing together, such as cooking a nice meal, playing games, viewing your favourite family movie and ordering takeaway from your favourite restaurant, etc.

Go outdoors

Bring the celebration outside. You could plan a family walk followed by brunch, prepare a picnic and head to the park, partake in some outdoor sports or even throw a poolside party!

Express how you feel

In the hustle and bustle of daily life, we frequently neglect to express our love and appreciation for our loved ones. Take this opportunity to sit down with your family and tell them how you feel, to have that conversation you’ve been meaning to have for a while, or to smooth over difficult relations.

5 IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT MIXED FAMILIES

Every day, approximately 1,300 new stepfamilies are formed in the United States.

In stepfamilies, stepfathers are more prevalent than stepmothers, according to a census.

About one-third of Americans belong to some form of hybrid family.

Nearly three-quarters of stepfamilies state that they lack access to adequate resources.

The United States has the highest rate of marriage, divorce, cohabitation, and/or remarriage among western nations.

NATIONAL STEPFAMILY DAY DATES