Fairytales and fables tend to paint stepmothers in a negative light, portraying them as wicked and hurtful. While classic children’s stories and movies seem to perpetuate the “evil stepmother” tale, the reality of a blended family is much different. A new study reveals that stepchildren don’t experience any more negative outcomes than their peers from single-parent households. It also found that stepchildren tend to experience better results than their half-siblings, disproving the wicked stepparent theory. One hundred thirteen million Americans & Canadians have some step-relationship, so this comes as welcome news.