I've been living with my BF for the last 7 years. He has a son (19) and a daughter (12) from a previous marriage. We have the kids very often. (I have no kids.) I've been with these kids for 8 years now (dated for a year before moving in together). Things are good for the most part but sometimes a situation arises that solidifies for me how different I would raise these kids if I were their mother. So I put the following questions out there for your consideration.........

Did my parents raise me wrong in teaching me to be considerate and respectful of other people's feelings? Should I have been raised to believe that I was the center of the universe? When did being a "good" parent become about what you could buy for your children not about the time you spend with them or the lessons you teach them in life? Should parents strive to make their children totally dependent on them for every little thing, never making them responsible for picking up after themselves or learning to work and save for what they want? Giving them everything they could wish for often before they even know they want it? When do these children learn to care for themselves? How do they figure out how to get what they want in life without someone handing it to them, never being truly appreciative of anything, thinking they can treat people however they want and never face any consequence? Lastly, how do you expect a child to behave any other way than the way they are being taught?

I want to be a good influence on these kids but their mother is a powerful force in their lives and sometimes I just disagree with the way she does things. My BF wants only to keep the peace with her. So my last question is this? What about my peace?