Hello! I have a 2.5yr old bio son and a 9yr old stepson. My relationship with my stepson is not in good shape at the moment: we don’t really trust each other and he doesn want to spend much time with me. I understand but I don’t know how to improve the situation. I am struggling with feeling protective over my little boy about things like toy sharing or when my stepson gives my son nasty looks after a toy sharing argument. Any advice on how to handle this better? I feel like I’m often being unfair to/ too hard on my stepson but my protective instinct is so strong. I think that is normal but it doesn’t help foster trust between my stepson and me. Any tips?!

Hi everyone, I marry my boyfriend later this year. We have four kids, two from his previous relationship and two from ours. His ex wife has brought up how the kids are feeling anxious about walking down the aisle and they feel pressurised into doing it. When we asked the children how they felt it didn’t seem to be as big an issue as their mum made out. Does anyone have advice on how to keep our boundaries secure so we’re not dragged into her drama?A second point is that my Step daughter has tried on a selection of outfits for the day and we’ve chosen one we both like. I’m not convinced she loves it but she’s insiting she does. How should I handle this?! I want her to feel great. We are in a phase where she’s not being massively open with me (she has been really open in the past).