Dear Ann Landers,
"When you marry a divorced man you marry the whole package-the ex-mate, the kids, the ex-in-laws, old friends, and so on." You gotta be crazy. I married a divorced man and there's nothing in my marriage contract that says I have to be bothered with any of the aforementioned kooks. My husband's ex-wife is a religious fanatic who reads the Bible with one hand and drinks gin with the other. Her children are going to be just like her. American courts seem to have the insane idea that children are better off with their mother, even if she is a nut, so I say let her paddle her own canoe. And why don't you talk about something else for a change?-Outspoken

Dear Out,
It's easy to say, "Let her paddle her own canoe," but that canoe has your husband's kids in it. If this woman is as nutty as you say, and if your husband is halfway decent, he will keep in close touch with his children. This means you are going to be "in touch," too, Madame-whether you like it or not.