So I thought I would tell you a little about my family situation. I have 2 children of my own. Katie is almost 12 and Andrew is almost 10. They are the wonderful products of my second…unsuccessful marriage. For some reason I do not seem to do the ‘marriage’ thing very well. I live with my partner Wayne. We bought a house together about a year after dating. His son, Chad who is 24 has lived with us for the past year and a half. His daughter, Samantha, who is almost 21, lived with us last year for 6 months. My children’s father is in their lives on a regular basis. They visit him every Tuesday evening and spend every other weekend with him.  Chad and Samantha’s mom is not in their lives as much as they would like. She believes on a more hands off approach to parenting. Wayne, like me is a lot more nurturing to both his children.  Needless to say, they seem to gravitate toward us and our home more. So, I am mom to my two, stepmom to his two and a partner to him. Sometimes it is a lot to juggle. Having grown up in a family where my parents were divorced and then remarried, I know what it feels like to have step parents. After my dad remarried, I never felt totally welcome in his home with his new wife, my stepmother.  I promised myself when I got into this relationship that I would never make Samantha and Chad feel the way I did. I have heard my whole life that I am a natural nurturer, and so gaining two more children to love and care about came very naturally. Thank goodness that for the most part all the kids get along and enjoy their relatively new found family.