What is a stepparent?

This entry describes a stepparent as the adult who is married to a child's parent and is not that child's legal or birth parent. It lists what the name does not settle: discipline, money, what the child calls this person, and what happens if the couple later parts.

What this entry does not do

It does not say a stepparent must or must not discipline, and it does not replace the entry on parenting a child from a prior relationship.