Adults who form stepfamilies expect a smooth and quick adjustment while children expect that the stepparent will disappear and their parents will be reunited. this is known as the _________ stage in papernow's seven-stage model of stepfamily development.
The stage in which both the adults and children in a stepfamily hold unrealistic expectations is called the 'fantasy' stage in Papernow's model. It is common for both sides to bring their own ideas of what a stepfamily will be like into the relationship. Many of these ideas will later prove inaccurate.
