Dad can reconcile kids with his new family

When a father starts a new family, the older children can often feel less valued and will feel indifferent to the baby. — Jan Tepass/Westend61/dpa

The baby has arrived! The parents are over the moon, but the reaction of the father's teenaged kids from his first marriage is restrained, to say the least. Couldn't they show some enthusiasm?

"This situation often leads to conflicts and can make many parents feel helpless," notes family therapist Maria Wiprich. It's sometimes hard for them to take, particularly amid their budding domestic bliss, but withdrawal or reproach on the part of the older children is perfectly understandable, she says.