A "Special" Kind of Relationship

When I met my hubby almost 21 years ago, he brought a very special "gift" to our relationship, my stepson.  I met him for the first time when he was right around 7 years old (the age my little man is now).  I knew that he and I would get along well when we both thought something was absolutely hilarious at the zoo during one of our very first outings together. He was in our wedding when I married his father.  I hear more negative things said about stepchildren than positive and that kind of  bugs me!  A relationship of that type takes time, communication, patience and lots of love.  When he was younger,  he and I would play endless board games together.  I'm the one who taught him how to ride his bike. Now that he has gotten older,  the topics of conversation are different, but one thing I have always told him is that I support him 100% in anything that he does.  I make sure that I always have his "back."   I think I can count on one hand how many times he and I have ever disagreed on something.  I consider him to be one of my closest friends in addition to the added bonus of  being my stepson.  Since we don't live close to him at the moment, thank goodness for e-mail and Skype.  I use e-mail the way other people text!  On those occasions when we do get to see him, I love to sit back and watch him interact with his brother and sister.  He is  12 years older than his sister and close to 20 years older than his little brother.  With those big age differences it's always entertaining!   His visits seem to go by way too fast.  When he was younger he used to tell me that I should open my own "restaurant."  The last time he visited, I made him an omelet. I didn't think it was any big deal, I make them every Sunday for his dad, but to him he thought he was being served a meal in a 5 star restaurant.  I always try to make the meals when he is visiting just a little "special."  I love my stepson just as much as my other two kids and feel incredibly lucky to have such a tight bond with him.  I certainly do have a "bountiful" plate!