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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than half of marriages have ended in divorce since the mid-1970s (2011). Nonetheless, schools and community organizations continue to be inclined to act as if nontraditional/neotraditional families are an anomaly. Moreover, according to The State of Our Unions (2005), a report issued by the National Marriage Project, only 63% of American children grow up with both biological parents-the lowest figure in the Western world. Despite the reality of new family structures, popular television, movies, and books continue to reinforce the traditional view of a family as being a married couple (mother and father) and their children. Ahrons (1994) asserted, "Shame is an alltoo- common feeling for children living in families that deviate from the idealized norm" (p. 122). Kids in single-parent, blended, interracial, multigenerational, and same-sex families all share this problem. By noticing the challenges faced by neo-traditional families and forming new stories that support reality, we can transform the shame and struggles often expected in these families to pride and resilience.
Kane and Fiedler (2011) suggest, "Gifted families are already...