Dear Steve and Shirley, my husband and I have been together for 5 years and married for 3 years. I have a son by my ex-husband and my husband has a son by an ex-girlfriend. Our blended family works perfectly because the boys are very close in age, so they’re best friends. My stepson’s mom is cool but I’ve made it a point to keep her at a distance because my mother-in-law told me she can be very messy at times.............................