Prenuptial agreements & step-children?

[McGoo]

Happy to read that BP is blood pressure, not bi-polar, though blood pressure is a definite concern for him... and for you if you love him. Keep him up on those meds.
As for parents - we sure do mean well, even if we open our mouths a little too much. Try to take their comments in the manner they were intended - love and concern

All the best. Hope you take others advice and seek legal council.

And most importantly - enjoy each other. Life is short.

 

[CMV]

I just wanted to add my two cents because I have a friend who just finished battling his ex in court over child support. My friend has been married to a wonderful woman for 9 years and has a child (5), but has a child (14) from a previous relationship. When the 14 y.o. was born my friend went all out on child support, paying well more than he had to because he felt obligated to make certain said child had the best possible future. Ex was a lovely woman and all was well. Years passed, friend found a great woman and married her and had a child. Never missed a support payment despite the economy going south even though it meant his current family had to scrimp to get by. Ex became an embittered woman from years of personal/emotional hardship, and demanded increasing amounts of money which friend obliged despite it being well above and beyond what the courts would demand. A breaking point was reached last summer when friend lost his job and his ex brought the courts into it. Long story short, nobody won this battle. Friend and his current family are losing their house, ex is furious and being paid one third (!) what she was formerly being paid, and the lawyers made a killing ($20,000+ in legal fees).

You know what you are walking into now, but who knows what the future may bring. Your DF's ex may be great and flexible now, but that could change. Please speak to a lawyer- both of you- and find out ways to protect yourselves. You are still young enough to have children in your future, so even if you don't want to do it for yourself, think of the children you may have down the line. A pre-nup may not be needed, and folks have mentioned wills and trusts which may be more appropriate in your situation, but without professional advice to navigate the rather cloudy legal world you may be setting yourself up for a fruitless battle down the line.

I wish you luck. Oh, and don't see your dad's talks as an ambush. He loves you and wants what's best for you. He just wants to make sure you are not being swept away by the moment. No matter how old you are you will always be his baby. His first instinct is to protect you from harm, whether it be real or imagined.