Parenthood
Divorced couple and their new partners live together and co-parent six children
It's not the most typical living arrangement, but they're a happy family of 10.
Irene Markianou
11.28.22

You know how you spend weeks or even months after breaking up with someone reflecting on what you did wrong, how they didn’t deserve you, and promising to never talk to them again?

Pexels - Vera Arsic
Source:
Pexels - Vera Arsic

Now, we may all have been a little more dramatic than needed during or after a breakup.

But when we’re talking about a divorce and kids that are being brought up at the time of the breakup, things need to be better thought of.

Pexels - Alex Green
Source:
Pexels - Alex Green

It’s important that the children have nothing to do with how betrayed you’re feeling about your spouse filing a divorce.

It’s crucial to put what makes you mad at each other aside and only focus on what is best for the kids.

When Katie Blackmer told her ex-husband, Stephen, that she wanted to remain friends after their divorce, his first reaction was “no way”.

YouTube - Blended 10
Source:
YouTube - Blended 10

Still, here they are, a few years later, living under the same roof again, with a few more additions. Their new partners and some more kids.

When Katie broke up with Stephen, she went on to marry Ben.

While they had a good relationship with her ex because of the three kids they had together, they never imagined they would live together again.

YouTube - Inside Edition
Source:
YouTube - Inside Edition

However, a while later, Stephen had a terrible car accident and needed 24-hour care for more than a month after being released from the hospital.

For Katie and Ben, it was clear that he would be moving in with them.

After he fully recovered, he never considered leaving.

Co-parenting had started working so well for the three of them.

When Stephen started dating Brandy and things got serious, they knew the best thing to do was to move in with the rest of the family.

And, while Katie and Ben initially considered moving into a new home, they figured the whole thing was also financially good for them all.

So, after a while, there were ten in their Christiana, Tennessee, home: the two couples, Ben’s older son from a previous relationship, Brandy’s two children, and Katie and Stephen’s kids.

The “Blended 10” as they call themselves learned to live together, and it seems that it actually came naturally.

“My kids call [Katie] mom,” Brandy told Inside Edition, “and I’m perfectly fine with that.”

As all four parents explain, living together has been “great” both for the kids and for them.

They enjoy hanging out together, and the kids simply love to have so many friends to play with.

YouTube - Blended 10
Source:
YouTube - Blended 10

As the adults admit, while their family and close friends approve of their decision to live all together, they have also received lots of criticism. Still, they wouldn’t have it any other way.

The couple’s interview with Inside Edition has gone viral with more than 2.2 million views, and so many of the people commenting think positively of their decision.

“if only everyone would have such a positive caring attitude, this world would be a much nicer place to live,” someone wrote.

So, do you think you could live with an ex and co-parent like this?

Watch an interview with the beautiful family below!

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

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