er parent. It helped that we all believed and
agreed on family values, etc.
each child’s ability to pay). Family dinner
means everyone.
Other children
However, to be transparent, there are times
I feel guilty when I do something for my
own birth children ONLY, but I have to remember my Bonus kids have two moms
who do things for them. My birth children
only have one.
RW: Were there any conflicts about equal
treatment and favoritism among the children?
Mary Ellen: Once my husband and I had two
children after we were married, we immediately wanted them all to blend. Everything
we did included every child. We would not
plan something and NOT include all the children. We are still like that today, even though
the children are adults and some have their
own families. A family vacation means everyone is invited (although financially based on
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RW: What are the dynamics between the
children.
Mary Ellen: The older children tease us a
lot about things they didn’t get to do when
they were younger, or things we do for the
younger kids. However, that is more a result of my husband and I being in a bet-
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