[gacook]

I'd agree with Nostatic about the OP's bias toward split families.

Thing is, with America's 50%+ divorce rate, MOST kids these days have some form of "broken home." How they adjust to it is really based on the parents. My ex and I realize that though we're no longer married to each other, we're both still parents to our kids, and we collaborate quite well. We've both remarried, and our kids have been lucky to get 2 pretty good step-parents now, too. There's A LOT I don't agree with the ex on, but I never point this stuff out to my kids; when they start talking smack about something (like the fact she's a terrible cook), I simply point out to them that everybody has their strengths and weaknesses, and while she might not be a gourmet chef, she IS good at sewing them costumes (or something to that nature).

Where you really see the messed up kids is when the parents had an ugly divorce, talk schit about one another non-stop TO the kids and are generally putting the kids in a constant unhappy situation.