Dear Dina,

My mom is getting married again in about a month. The guy she is marrying has two kids. I’m 14, his daughter is 12, and his son is 8. Even though my mom has been with him for two years, I never really spent much time with his kids because they lived with his ex-wife.

After he marries my mom, all of us are moving into a new house including his two kids. I really like him and am glad he will be my stepdad, but I am unsure and nervous about having a stepsister and stepbrother. It’s all I think about lately and at times it makes me really sad. What should I do?

Sincerely,

Nervous about New Family

Dear Nervous,

It’s OK to be nervous because this is a major event that will occur in your life soon. It’s definitely a good thing that you like your soon to be stepdad, but it’s also understandable to be worried about living together with his own kids, since you don’t really know them.

You should talk to him about them to find out what they are like and what interests they have. His daughter is only two years younger than you, so she might share similar interests with you. That would make it a lot easier. You could even ask him if you could all do something together some weekend to try to break the ice between you and his kids.

That way, when it comes time to live in the same house, you will have already met them and spent a little bit of time together. I’m sure everything will work out fine, and I’m betting that they are just as nervous as you are. Good luck!

Sincerely,

Dina

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Dear Dina,

The other night my boyfriend took me to a party at one of his friend’s house. I was a little unsure about going, but I went anyway because I knew it would make my boyfriend happy. We’ve only been dating for about month now. I didn’t know his friends so that was one of the reasons why I didn’t want to go.

At the party, one of his friends spilled alcohol on me and another was hitting on me. While all of this was going on, my boyfriend was in the other room. I felt really uncomfortable the whole time and I don’t think my boyfriend has any idea about that. What should I do?

I don’t want to be in a situation like that again.

Sincerely,

Confused

Dear Confused,

Personally, I think it’s time to find another boyfriend. To put you in a situation like that is rude and inconsiderate. Since you haven’t been dating for too long he obviously knew that you didn’t know his friends too well. That in itself is an uncomfortable situation, but when alcohol gets involved it becomes even more uncomfortable.

The fact that your boyfriend wasn’t even with you when everything was going on is pretty low. Let him know how you felt that night and tell him it’s time to see other people. He doesn’t sound like boyfriend material. Don’t worry; there are plenty of other boys out there. Good luck!

Sincerely,

Dina

As this is my last column, I just wanted to say thanks to all of my readers and those who have submitted letters. It’s been a lot of fun writing, and I hope I have helped out those who were in search of advice.

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Dina Perazone, a 2006 graduate of Roxbury Central School, recently completed her freshman year at the State University College at Geneseo. The next teen advice column will be written by Chad Shipman, a junior at Unadilla Valley Central School. You can send your questions to Chad by e-mail at chad�shipman21@yahoo.com, or by mail to Check with Chad, c/o The Daily Star, P.O. Box 250, Oneonta, NY 13820.