If your 13 year old son stole a car...

[appleannie1]

30. I have 3 stepdaughters.

Sometimes it takes something like that to realize that not all step parents are like those in fairytales. Many stepchildren are suspicious and angry and act out as a result. My hubby won full custody of his 3 daughters in a court of law, something almost unheard of in the sixties. They then lived with him and his mother for over a year before we met and married. His mother would ask them what they wanted for supper and then stand and cook 3 different meals for them. I had two boys when we married and I only cooked one meal for everyone. Plus their other grandmother would call and tell them that I was not their mother and they did not have to listen to me. It took me years to gain their trust. Now, even though their father is gone, they treat me the same as my biological children, with love and respect. And like I said, sometimes it takes something hard to bear to make them realize how very lucky they really are.