Stepchildren

Stepchildren are children in a stepfamily of at least one of the stepparents.

In a simple stepfamily, only one stepparent has a prior child or children. Usually this is thought of in terms of minors, but the children of a stepfamily can also be adults. Stepbrothers and stepsisters exist in a blended, or complex stepfamily. In any case, any subsequent children conceived through the new marriage are one's half-siblings instead of stepsiblings, being related through one blood line, that of the one biological parent. Having a new child does not change the identity of a stepfamily, nor does legal stepchild adoption.