Step sibling relationship?

Question

my husbands uncle has 2 sons and a daughter, he just gor marries last year and his wife has 2 sons. she just found out that her youngest son who is 14 i think ans her step daughter who is 13 are dating. her and my husbands uncle have been together for 5 years. so, they know each other really well and now their mom/step mom is taking them to counseling. do you think that is something that should not be going on? they live in the same house so it is not like they only see each other every now and then. it is not their fault that their parents got married but their parents were together way before them. what do you think about their situation?

Answer 1

As someone who is in a long-term and very rewarding relationship with my stepbrother (began when we were both in college) I feel compelled to note that this is not always problematic. My (our) family was originally uncomfortable but after some discussion and time to get used to things everyone, including parents, grandparents, siblings, etc is now completely fine with the situation. I agree that these kids are too young, probably to be dating anyone, but I don't think that this is something that should be unilaterally condemned. Their parents need to be understanding of their children's feelings (they are very real and can't simply be wished away) and encourage them to keep their actions age-appropriate.