Mickey,
I'm sorry, I remembered that there was something that you asked me about that I failed to answer. You asked me about my previous relationship.
My last serious relationship was with a lady that was Native American, a Sioux Indian. Her name was Roberta. We were together for almost a year I guess. She had two small girls that were great. We eventually broke up because she turned to drugs and was unwilling to quit and stay off. I dealt with that quite a while but eventually it became clear that she was not going to give it up. So we called it quits.
Before her, I dated a lady from Pakistan for several months.
Before her, I was married to a lady that was from here, California. She had blue eyes and very light hair. She turned out to be a very angry person but I dealt with it. She also had two small children when we met. The kids called me dad. I raised them as my own. I still talk to them from time to time and they still call me dad. When their mother and I separated, the kids wanted to come with me. When I was raising the kids, I kept them active in sports, band, scouting, and more. They were good kids. After I left, their mother was more interested in her boyfriend than her kids and they stopped everything. The reason that we ended everything was that she started seeing someone else.
I want you to know that I will work through any problem with you. The only thing that will end our relationship is infidelity.
Even Roberta's girls called me dad. They were really good little girls for me.
I am actually very good with kids. I treat them with respect and I let them know that they are accountable for their actions and that there are consequences for their actions, good and bad. There are rules and guidelines that we all must follow. But kids just want to be loved. Show them love above all things and give them security. They must know that your love is unconditional.
So Mickey, I welcome your daughter. In time, you should think about a few things. They may not seem like big things but I want both of you to be comfortable and in agreement on a few things. How do we refer to one another? What I mean is, should she call me dad, step dad, or Jerry. I want her and you to be ok with this. I have no problem referring to her as our daughter. When I was married, her kids called me dad and I always referred to them as my kids. Even when they did something wrong, I always referred to them as my kids, I never said that they were my step kids or by referring to them as her kids. So think about it. Whatever the two of you feel most comfortable with.
I want you to know that I think about our future a great deal. I realize that it includes Annie and Minnie and that is ok. I really think that if we all work together, it will be great. I want Minnie to adjust to school and her new country. I don't mind helping her with school. I'm sure that Annie will be a huge help as well.
Mickey, I have learned so much about what makes a relationship work and what makes it fail. I want our relationship to be the most successful relationship that either of us have ever had. I want us to be happier than we've ever been. So we will work together to make this great.
With love,
Jerry