I never before considered all of the many challenges that go into successfully blending families.  learning about the challenges that all marriages typically face and the realities involved with that makes my resolve to make my own marriage successful even stronger.  I  now have a greater respect for those who have remarried and blended families together, especially those who seem to have done it well.
One thing that I thought was interesting is the idea that the biological parent should do all of the disciplining and that the step parent should play the role of the cool, fun aunt or uncle.  That strikes me as odd, but then again, I guess I can see some merit to it.