Families with stepchildren are sometimes perceived to be unhealthy situations, but the stepchildren sometimes have a better life the second time around. A stepsibling is a brother or sister who is not related by blood, but by marriage. Half-siblings are similar, but the siblings are still related by blood by one parent. One individual who displays a positive relationship with her stepsister is junior Kristen Anema. Anema began living with her stepsister four years ago after her mother remarried. She treats her stepsister as a good friend, but tends to become protective like a true sister. "We got along very well from the beginning," Anema said. Although Anema gets along well with her stepsister, she only spends every other week living with her because she alternates living with her father and her mother. Junior Alex Jobrack lives with his father, stepmother, three brothers, one sister, and two half-siblings. Alex's family has a long history of stepbrothers and stepcousins, from his grandparents' separation to his father's second marriage. "I think of my half-siblings as true brothers and sisters because I took care of them since they were born," Alex said. Alex enjoys spending time with his half-siblings; he practically raised them from their cribs. Alex's half-siblings, David and Hannah, are ages four and two, respectively. Alex's brother Sol has a different view of their family. Sol does not feel like he is being treated very well by them. "He [Sol's father] was nice to me before he married my stepmom," Sol said. "It seems he cares about his new family more than his old." Sol gets into more arguments now that his father has remarried. He mainly gets into arguments with his stepmother. The separation caused Sol to experience tension between his father and mother during the holidays. "I celebrate some holidays with my dad, and others with my mom," Sol said. "I don't like the tension." The future of families with stepchildren also seem to be positive. Math teacher Andrew Lopez was born into a family with two half-sisters. Lopez's mother conceived two daughters from a previous marriage which ended with the death of her spouse. Lopez's mother later remarried and conceived two sons in her second marriage, him and his brother. Lopez's sisters are 17 and 19 years older than him. "I thought of my half-sisters as my other mothers because they would change my diapers and help me with my schooling," Lopez said. Lopez's half-sisters took care of him when his father passed away six months after he was born. The Lopez family is very close, even with the great age difference between the siblings. Marriage counselor John Hannon says the future of step and half-siblings' relationships varies upon the treatment in the child's first family unit. The manner in which a child interacts with his biological parents directly affects his future relationships in life.