Dear Dr. Romance: My husband does not understand my children

Dear Dr. Romance:

I am married with a man that is younger than me by 17 years. Right now we are in a bad situation. I have 2 teenage children from prior marriage. My husband wants to represent my children's father and he does not understand that the children are too old to be molded the way he wants to. He is gone right now because the issues we have with my younger son. I really love him and I don't want to lose him. I don't know what to do.

Dear Reader:

I think you're saying your husband wants to replace your children's father. You don't say how long you have known him, or if your children had a chance to get to know him before you married him. At any rate, since he is gone, if he comes back you'll need to start over in a better way. Before all of you can live together peacefully, you and he must come to an agreement both of you can keep about co-parenting your teenagers. If you can't agree about that, then the two of you should just be dating and not living together until your boys are grown. "Dating Guidelines for Single Parents" will show you and your new husband how to set your family up for success. "The Challenges of Blended Families" will help you understand how How to Be Happy Partners: Working it Out Together will teach you how to work with your current husband to create teamwork in parenting.

For low-cost counseling, email me at tina@tinatessina.com