Dear Carolyn:
Two years ago, my wife and I took in her two half-siblings, ages 5 and 8. It was an emergency situation, her mom had real problems I dont want to get into, and their dad was overwhelmed and we really had to step up.
Now my mother-in-law is completely out of the picture, but the kids father would like to resume full custody.
I was so relieved at the news. I was glad to help when we had to, but were still in our 20s, and I would like to get back to the carefree life we had before. We only have a couple of years before we start trying for kids of our own.