John, I am sorry you feel the way you do. (This will be my last post on this thread, so if you want the last word then your next message can be it!) I can only respond by trying to assure you that my motive in responding was not controversy as you suggest, but a genuine concern for the mental and emotional well-being of these kids, which I only wish were more evident in some of the other replies on this board. I was also trying to encourage our friend Patrick to continue to share his experiences, as I think it is really valuable for parents to hear a perspective on this situation from a teen's point of view. I respect your right to disagree with me, but really, do you think it is healthy (as in today's most recent post) for a 12-year-old girl to act and be treated like "another baby in the house"?? Again, I recognize that these situations place tremendous stresses on parents and children alike, but I can only urge parents who are feeling overwhelmed to try to find a professional counselor who will understand the situation and try to work through it as a family, rather than pursuing a course of action that could potentially scar your child emotionally for a very long time. It may take some hard-to-find time and money (not to mention swallowing of pride!) to seek counseling, but your child is worth it!!! I know that some people here will disagree with me, but for me these are very sincere concerns, and I hope that parents on this board who share these or similar concerns will speak up and voice them as well. Thanks for your understanding. --Adam