羅 朝淇的部落格

Dear Annie:
I am dating "Scott," a wonderful man. We are both divorced and have children from our previoues marriages.
Scott and I want to marry, and his two adolescent children approve.
But I sometimes spend weekends at his place and have become concerned.
Scott's bedroom is next to the family foom, and his kids stay there way past 11 p.m. most nights.
Scott periodically tells them they ought to go to bed, but they ignore him, keep the TV blaring and trash the area with food and paper cups.
I have told Scott if we marry, there will have to be some changes, but he accuses me of picking on(嘮叨) his kids.
I understand his children are accustomed to having the entire house to themselves, but I don't want to live this way.
Any suggestions?

Dear Not Sure:
Issues with stepchildren(繼子女) can be defficult and, without Scott's cooperation, can wreck(破壞) the relationship.
Scott must understand that a lack of discipline(管教) is a disservice(壞處) to his children, and the two of you must present a united front(同一立場), with Scott taking the lead.
If he won't do this, you can try family counseling(咨詢) or you can wait until the children are out of the house before you marrry.
Or, of course, you can just walk away.