*waves* So I'm new...
I'm a knottie from way back. Married in June of 2004... but then divorced in 2006. Married too young to the WRONG person for the wrong reasons. Expensive lesson learned.
Anyway, I started dating a single dad a year and a half ago and we now live together and are planning on getting married in the next year. He has has two girls - 7 and 10 - and two ex-step daughters who are still in his life - 15 and 18. We have the little girls 50% of the time, every other week and see the older girls at random times for dinners, etc.
So far, things are going pretty well. His ex wife is a bit of a handfull, but everyone's playing nicely and can do basketball and volleyball games with no problem... she even invited me to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with her family because she didn't want me to be alone and the girls would like to have me there. That went off without a hitch, shockingly.
Things aren't perfect, by any means. But we're doing okay for where we are at the moment.
Anyway, I've been lurking for a month or so and thought I'd introduce myself! So, hi!
Re: *waves* So I'm new...
Welcome!
Holiday meals with the ex-sounds like you have a dream of an ex to work with. That is great. And ditto PP, speaks very highly of him that the older SD's are still in his life. Good luck to you!
Thanks, ladies!
And I agree - he's an amazing man and father. He raised the older girls from the time they were 1 and 4, basically. We actually have a room set up for the 15 year old and she's welcome to stay every other week with the little ones, which she does rarely. (Her friends are in her old neighborhood, etc...)
The situation is far from ideal and we have the same headaches most blended families have... I beat my head against the wall with most of the choices the girls' mom makes and would like to throttle her for her lack of focus on their education and homework, etc.... plus it would be nice if their room was clean enough there for them to actually sleep in their beds... but I've come to realize that we have to do the best we can when their here... teach them how nice it is to have nice things and feel comfortable and how good it feels to get 100% on a spelling test and hope that's enough for now.
Anyway, that's me in a nutshell and I do know that I'm extremely lucky!