Q: "I love my two little Stepsisters. My Dad and Stepmom have two other daughters. Sometimes I think Dad loves them more than he loves my older sister and me. Sometimes I like being an older sister because I used to only be the baby. But sometimes I feel like they get all of the attention and I wish I could live there too, but I wouldn’t want to leave my Mom. Wouldn't leaving her make her sad?" (Annie, age 9)

A: Wow, Annie. First you were the baby and now you get to be a middle sister, with younger ones. So, in one house you and your older sister live with your Mom and in the other house, your Dad and his new wife have a family. That’s a lot going on! I can understand that sometimes you want to be part of your Dad’s family. I think leaving Mom would make her sad and it would also make you sad. See, you get to have both choices in your life! Not many kids get to have two choices. They’re often stuck in just one family. In the family with Mom, you don’t have to “watch” the younger kids all the time, so you get a break, don’t you? Maybe you’re more worried that Dad doesn’t love you and your older sister as much because he doesn’t see you all the time like he does your little sisters. I bet if you were to ask him though, he would tell you the truth—that just because you and your older sister aren’t there all of the time, that he loves you all the same! Think you can ask him?