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ObjectiveTo explore fathers' experiences as biological parents in father–stepmother families.BackgroundBiological parents play an important role in the formation and development of stepfamily relationships, but little is known about fathers in stepfamilies.MethodIn‐person interviews were conducted with 10 Belgian fathers. Interviews were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis.ResultsThree themes emerged from the data: (a) reflecting on children's experiences and transitions, (b) pursuing a shared family understanding, and (c) innovating new ways of doing fatherhood and family. The first theme centers on fathers' concerns about the impact family transitions may have on their children. The second theme centers on fathers' pursuit of a shared understanding that clarifies family roles and expectations within the stepfamily. The last theme addresses the creativity of these fathers as they co‐construct new stepfamily and fatherhood identities in the absence of culturally ascribed norms.ConclusionGiven their connecting role as parent and partner, biological fathers in stepfamilies are key to the formation and development of a new family narrative.Findings contribute to family practitioners' understanding of how fathers experience stepfamily life.

AbstractThe current study examined the respective role of stepfamily members' individual characteristics and their dyadic relationships in stepfamily members' perceptions of mattering to one another. Parents, stepparents, and adolescents from 86 stepfamilies participated. Applying social relations model analyses, several trends emerged regarding the relative importance of individual and dyadic factors. Parents' and adolescents' reports of mattering to one another were mainly driven by individual factors, whereas relational factors were important to understand the reports of mattering in which the stepparent was one of the dyad members. These findings contribute to stepfamily research by highlighting that stepfamily members' sense of belonging is at least partly a function of the interpersonal adaptation between the stepparent and other family members.