Step-Parenting
May 31, 2008 05:00PM ● By Super Admin
She Said:
My husband and I got married about a year ago. We are both in our late thirties, and while this is my first marriage, he has been married once before. With his ex-wife, he had two wonderful children; the oldest is a 13-year-old girl and the youngest is an 8-year-old boy. They are both smart, well mannered, and great looking like their father.
After he and the wife separated about five years ago, he was granted weekend custody of the children. Over the three years we’ve been dating, I’ve gotten to know them slowly, starting with casual meetings about a few months into our relationship. I don’t blame him for “breaking me” in cautiously. You have to understand, they were both very young when their parents split. And coming from a family with divorced parents, I personally know how challenging that introduction can be.
Bob says:
Using your own life experience to understand and empathize with his kids can be helpful. However, while they may be similar, their experience will not always mirror yours. Use your past to inform you how they may be feeling, but don’t always assume.
For more on He Said/She Said, be sure to pick up this month's copy of Style-Folsom El Dorado Hills edition. Click on the "Get Your Copy" link on the bottom of this page for some of our newsstand locations. Or, to order a copy of this issue, please email Gloria Schroeder at [email protected], or call her at 916-988-9888 x116.
My husband and I got married about a year ago. We are both in our late thirties, and while this is my first marriage, he has been married once before. With his ex-wife, he had two wonderful children; the oldest is a 13-year-old girl and the youngest is an 8-year-old boy. They are both smart, well mannered, and great looking like their father.
After he and the wife separated about five years ago, he was granted weekend custody of the children. Over the three years we’ve been dating, I’ve gotten to know them slowly, starting with casual meetings about a few months into our relationship. I don’t blame him for “breaking me” in cautiously. You have to understand, they were both very young when their parents split. And coming from a family with divorced parents, I personally know how challenging that introduction can be.
Bob says:
Using your own life experience to understand and empathize with his kids can be helpful. However, while they may be similar, their experience will not always mirror yours. Use your past to inform you how they may be feeling, but don’t always assume.
For more on He Said/She Said, be sure to pick up this month's copy of Style-Folsom El Dorado Hills edition. Click on the "Get Your Copy" link on the bottom of this page for some of our newsstand locations. Or, to order a copy of this issue, please email Gloria Schroeder at [email protected], or call her at 916-988-9888 x116.