PARENTING September 4, 2006 ISSUE

STEPPARENTING 101

WELLS SAMPSON

RECENTLY, my wife and I celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary. The day I married the "woman of my dreams" was also the day I became a stepparent of two lovely girls, ages five and seven. I thought my previous six years of experience as an uncle to my siblings' children had prepared me well, but I soon found out that stepparenting was much more challenging.

For example, early on, every time one of the girls would say, "You're not my real dad," I was devastated.