I'm the veteran BM & SM of 5 reflecting on my steplife as I read the posts. DH & I feel blessed that we survived it all.  Here's what wasn't worth worrying about when all 5 lived here:

Eating Habits:  Some of the SKs were (and one still is) picky eaters.  If DH wanted to give one of them fast foid money if they didnt like the meal, whatever.  I now believe it was a desire for the taste considtency of fast food.  They hadnt been exposed to a big variety of food.

Im the 74yo SM of SD58 who we subsidize after a 10- month residence with us where we were terrorized by her drug use, lying, stealing, manipulation and night creeping.  Part of the deal is that her car insurance is charged to our credit card and she reimburses me in cash for it monthly.  This is working ok altho I don't know if the money she hands me is hers or 83yo DH's but I don't care since he and I separated finances.  She has no credit.

The recent blogs about hellish vacations have reminded me of mine.  Back on the '70s, i naively thought it would be a good idea to plan a vacation for all 7 of us.  I booked a big cabin at a nearby lake.  DH's friend generously offered to lend his outboard motor boat.

We packed our van & took off.  I can't remember what the 3 boys were doing in back (these were pre-carseat days) but whatever it was, DH was incensed.  He yelled at them half the way there.

I'm the veteran BM & SM who remembers steplife with 5 kids as I read the blogs & forums.  We came out on the other side. but I remember those hellacious summers.

I would start to get more depressed every spring as it got closer to school closing.  The SK would be here almost all summer long.  They would go back on Tuesday evening (karate class) & come back Thursday night (after karate class). Our house is not big & at that point we hadn't added the space we did once tbey moved in full-time.