DEAR ABBY: I am a 47-year-old single man who is dating a 42-year-old divorced woman who has three teen-aged daughters (15, 16 and 17). I intend to marry her and adopt her daughters.
She wants to marry a man who will be a good father to her daughters, and the daughters are very eager to have their mother married to a man who would be a father to them. This will be my first marriage.
Can you recommend a book for me? I don't know much about raising teen-aged girls. -- BEWILDERED IN CANADA
DEAR BEWILDERED: Your local library should have a wide selection of books on "stepfamilies" and "blended" families.
I respect a woman who wants to marry a man who would be a good father to her teen-aged daughters, but since they will become adults and fly the nest within the next five years, you would be wise to evaluate her as a woman with whom you plan to spend the rest of your life.