Well, you know what - even she had a hard time being a step-mum in the movie! So we may not be big hollywood movie stars but as step-mums I think we do a darn good job at acting & being diplomatic!! It's the name of the game, isn't it!!

Well, just a little update from me. It's school holidays for us here at the moment and the kids aren't having too much fun because we have our own retail businesses and work 7 days a week. My 14yr SD is sick in bed with a cold which is miserable for her so on Thursday I am taking her to get her hair coloured while I get mine done (I won massive brownie points for this last night when I told her the good news!) So funny, she kept asking me what the bad news was!! I told her that there isn't always bad news when there is good news!

My 12yr SS is keeping himself busy taking the soccer ball the the local park with the dog and practising - he is soccer crazy at the moment with the World Cup. I have reluctantly put him in pull-up pants to better control the damage of the bed-wetting. It seems to be helping in terms of no more washing bed linen every day (which then I can't dry fast enough because we don't have a dryer & it's winter here so raining & cold so can't use the line outside!) He was pretty embarrassed when I gave them to him (as he would be - poor little kid, his face went so red) so I didn't make a big deal about it at all. I hate to imagine what it must be doing to him psychologically.

There mother has made NO ATTEMPT to call or see them on the holidays. She makes me sick. She is just loving her life now with no responsibility and not having to spend any money on them. What it must be doing to them to see their mother take no interest in them?? I would be heartbroken if I were them.

Now I would like some advice on how I can talk openly with my 14yr SD about sex etc. I have no problem talking to her about drugs and the dangers and often talk about not getting pregnant. But I want to be able to talk to her about boys, expectations, safe sex etc. The girls today seem to be doing it younger than ever before & I have a feeling she may have lost her virginity at 12 when she was living with her mother (who paid no attention to what they did). She acts niave about it all but I know she is far from innocent....any suggestions?? Thanks! BY the way - I LOVE this site! Thank you to whoever started it up!